A little Madness
by tangerinerr
Summary: Post war, Voldemort wins. Hermione has an idea to over throw the Dark lord, that requires her to become an Animagus, and find the lost Resurrection Stone rumored to be in the Forbidden Forest. Draco has become a pariah, shunned by both sides, with nothing left to lose. DM/HG extremely slowburn.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/n...This story takes place in a slight AU where Moody survived the Night of The Seven Potters.**_

 **Chapter 1**

 **A bit of Madness in the spring**

The air was very quiet, and humid in the last of the days light, bathing everything in a hazy golden sunlight, that, under more pleasant circumstances, would have drawn forth feelings of calm and easiness in Hermione. But she was not in more pleasant circumstances, so all it did was serve to mark the passing of time. The late April breeze picked up the smell of dirt and singed hair and tickled Hermiones nose with it, mixing with the smell of her own body odor and sweat, making her feel completely filthy and grounding into her how heavy the weight of this task was.

 _Oh, sodd off!_ she thought angrily, swatting at a determined mosquito that kept landing on her exposed shoulders. She extended her wand slowly and confidently recited "Amato Animo Animato Animagus!" while touching her wand to her heart.

Although the sky above her seemed calm, with only had a few dark clouds slinking along the horizon, she knew a thunder storm was forming somewhere in the east, and would be moving this way shortly. She guessed about five hours from now, maybe six if the storm felt like teasing her. Her bushy hair was being kept out of her face in a lose pony tail, but that didn't stop fly-aways from dancing around the pallid flesh of her face. She had dark circles under her eyes, and her jumper was fraying on both sleeves.

A brown shimmery string shot out of her wand, and circled her shoulders, disappearing as it touched her. I _wish I knew if that was a good sign. I wish McGonagall was here. I wish Harry was alive. I wish I could see my parents._ As soon as she thought the first wish, the rest came spilling out of her, and she didn't have enough time to steel her heart against them before tears welled in her eyes. _I wish Tom Riddle had never been born. I wish I was at the burrow, eating some of Molly's shepherds pie. I wish I knew where Ron was being kept. I wish- Oh grow up Hermione! Be in the now!_ She snapped her eyes shut angrily and snapped her wand against her leg.

It wouldn't do well to dwell on the wishes she kept near and dear to her heart. It wasn't healthy to distract away from this behemoth of a task in front of her, and the sooner she finished, the closer she may be to having at least some of her wishes come true.

She sat down suddenly, leaning her back against one of the tall oak trees that were growing haphazardly all around her. She reached into her bag and pulled out a hunk of bread wrapped in wax paper. Even though it was a small hunk of bread, it weighed heavy in her small, dirty hand. She had apparated into the eastern American coast about three days ago, and was hiding somewhere in Virginia. She had gone into a couple of markets stealing a bit of food under the invisibility cloak now and then, but she had no money to drop and the guilt was getting to her. She swept her eyes out over the meadow in front of her, and it's perimeter of trees. She slumped her shoulders and sighed. She was in America, in dirty clothes, in desperate need of a shower, attempting a magic ritual that wizards and witches far more powerful and educated than her had failed at. It was madness. _A little madness in the spring,_ she thought wryly, recalling an old Emily Dickinson poem she had read a life time ago, before she had gotten her Hogwarts letter.

 _If all goes well tonight, I will be back in London by this time next week and I can try to meet up with Ginny and Neville. It will be fine. I can do this. I WILL do this._ She thought determinedly, as she nibbled at the stale bread in her hand. Once she finished, she folded the wax paper and put it back into her bag.

Digging her nails into the ground, and closing her eyes she tried to center herself. She needed self discipline now, and she needed to be one with her magic. Closing her eyes always seemed to enhance her unease, though. Being on the run, and being apart of a war for so long robs you of things. Being able to find self peace seemed to be one of them for Hermione. Anytime she closed her eyes she was met with images she didn't want to see.

She glanced up and was startled to see that the sky had been carpeted in dark clouds while she had sat on the ground. "Oh, thank Merlin," She said somberly, shuddering at the thought of carrying another mandrake leaf in her mouth for a month if there wasn't a storm to complete the ritual. _I hope this works. I hope if it works, I turn into something more practical than an otter..._ Hermione let that thought trail off. She knew McGongals patronous was a cat, and Lupins was a wolf, so it would be fitting that hers would be an otter. If she was able to pull this off, that is. But she didn't see how an otter would be practical for sneaking into the forbidden forest, and would certainly look suspicious to have an otter running around Diagon Ally, with no close water sources. She had been trying now for 6 months to become an animagus, and to say it had been an uphill battle was an understatement. In order to become one, she needed to make a potion that, among some of her hair, an deathheads moth, and dew that had not seen sunlight for 7 days, included the leaf from a mandrake that had to be kept in her mouth for a month. She had swallowed the first one, accidentaly spit out the second, was unable to find anoter mandrake plant for two months after that one, and when her and Ron were finally able to locate another, Ron was captured by a death eater while Hermione ran off. Her heart panged a little as she remebered Ron's panic stricken face as he pushed Hermione forward and told her to run.

"Hermione, go, please-go you stubborn woman!" He had yelled as A hooded death eater pulled his wand out and started sending out hexes.

And go she had. She ran about ten feet forward, glanced back at Ron, who was pulling his wand out, and apparated to the first place that popped into her head. She didnt want to think about that now though, the memory was a noose around her heart that was tighter every time she brought it to mind. Despite her pact with Ron, that they would do what ever was necessary to keep hope alive, and keep the battle going- even if that meant abandoning the other- she felt an enormous amount of guilt at having left him. She missed him. She missed harry. She missed them all, and sometimes her greif was so deep she felt she would drown in it, felt she would become nothing but a girl so waterlogged with sadness that light would cease to exist and she would melt into the loss of the world around her. But than she would remember the first time she produced a corporeal patronous, or her first kiss shared with Ron. Memories of Ginny, and Luna, and Molly Weasley would float in and out of her physc and she would feel a little revived, and bit less water logged. She glanced up to see the how dark the world around had grown, as if reflecting her own inner mechanisms.

"Thank Merlin," Hermione said and she stood up, pulling her bag up with her. She noticed her hand was shaking as she reached in and found the bottle of potion she was looking for. It was a dark muddy color, that seemed to be in constant motion. when she uncorked the bottle her nose was met with such a familiar smell that she recoiled from the feeling of nostalgia and yearning that came with it. _It smells like Hogwarts olwery!_ She thought in awe. _Or am I just going crazy hoping for any connection to better times? Maybe it just smells like owl poop and musty feathers._

She reined her thoughts back in and wandered out into the open field. With the potion in one hand, and her wand in the other, she recited the incantation again. The wand tip pointed at her heart grew hot as she drank the potion, which tasted as musty as it smelled. The potion it self was hot, and burned on its way down. Slowly, Hermiones body became warm, starting from her throat and flowing at to her toes. She blinked a few times and felt the world growing hazy and distorted around her.

All of the forest sounds that had been in full swing around her seemed to die. No bird noises, no cicadas rhythm, she saw lightning strike but there was no thunder clap to accompany it- not even the leaves blowing in the blossoming storm seemed to be generating any sound. Hermiones vision grew dark and strained as she felt her knees starting to bend and her body start to crumple down towards the earth.

 _I've botched it somehow. please don't let me die!_ She thought wildly into the universe while her consciousness started to seap away. As her eyes closed the sounds of the forest slowly started to resurface, and above her the thunder storm raged on. Fat, cold rain drops fell on her small figure and lightning cracked through the sky. Thunder roared across the landscape, as big as life itself, and one small, and she lay in the center of a long forgotten meadow. The wind blew her hair lose from band holding it in place and a few tawny feathers seemed to be poking out of the wild tresses.

 **Chapter 2**

Hermione was trapped in her dreams again. The one place she couldn't steel her self against. She was reliving Voldemort killing Harry for the hundreth time in the catacombs of her self conscious. She saw the green streak of the killing curse rebound off Harry's Expeliarmus, and watched, Blindsided, as Walden Macnair, who had regained consciousness and had slipped by through the crowd unnoticed as Harry and Voldemort dueled. As Voldemort's curse rebounded off of Harry's, Macnair had struck as fast as lightening. He had pulled his wand as sent his own killing curse so quickly, no one had time to even register what was happening. Harry had crumpled to the ground and Voldemort had yelled with such fury and rage, the great hall rocked on its foundation. Hermione watched the soupy, dream version of events melted away as her eyes lids began to flutter.

Hermione opened her eyes slowly, and was startled to see how bright the light around her was. The sounds of birds chirping filled her ears, and she lifted her a head a little to see the meadow she had passed out in. She sat up slowly and assessed her self. _Great, my last jumper and it's covered in mud._ She thought dismally and absentmindedly brushed at the dirt on her. She didn't feel different. Worry started to well up in her mind, and she recounted the process from last night. _Where will I ever secure another mandrake leaf?!_ She thought dejectedly and she began to stand up.

 _How did Peter Pettigrew become an animagus and I can't?_ The thought barely escaped her mind before she felt her breathe being cut short and her body turning very warm, very quickly. Suddenly, Hermione felt very light. Exceedingly light, so light that she felt she could raise her arms and float away. She turned to look at her arms-and her arms weren't there! In their place was two feathered wings, light and tawny in the bright morning sun. She started to walk forward and felt her self hop instead. She hopped a little quicker and spread her arms and quite suddenly was air bound. She couldn't believe it. she flapped her wings and gained a little bit of height, suddenly landing on a branch of the oak tree she had sat under mere hours earlier. Hermione was filled with a feeling of accomplishment and pride such as she had never felt before. She was an animagus! And some sort of bird at that. She felt positively giddy at the revelation. She quieted her mind and listened. She was able to hear more clearly than she ever imagined she would be able. She picked up the squeaking of some nearby field mice, and beyond that the squeak of some birds. She was able to hear human voices, very far away, which startled her slightly. She hadn't though there had been any people for miles, muggles or otherwise. She picked her wings up and took of towards the human voices, she was guessing maybe two miles away from her. She couldn't help but be distracted by the world flying by around her. What beauty had been unleashed to her, now that she was privy to the birds eye view. _So this must be the appeal of broomsticks._ Now that she had no fear of falling, she could see the call of flying. The freedom it invoked, the power to be able to move like this. The oak trees and cypress trees seemed to move past her like cars on the highway, and the smell of the sky seemed to invigorate her more than any cup of coffee or pepper up potion ever could.

She came to a stop where the human voices were loudest, and perched about ten feet off the ground on a young oak tree. She looked around and managed to spot two men, and older one and a younger one, walking through the forest floor with rifles. Probably hunting she thought dismissively. _Good thing I had not turned into a dear,_ she thought and flew back to where she had left her bag.

As she was flying she spotted a river, and flew down to it to catch a glimpse of what she was now. The water was beautiful, and she was tempted to turn back into her human self and take a dip. But it wouldn't do to be seen by those two hunters, as she had no idea who to trust in this new world. She hopped close to the edge of the water and looked down to see a beautiful tawny barn owl, whose head feathers seemed suspiciously ruffled, almost reminiscent of the bushy hair she usually sported in her human form. _In my human form!_ She thought giddily. _I cannot believe I have pulled this off! Thank you Merlin!_ She practically screamed inside her own head. An owl! Not only had she managed this most tricky bit of magic, but she had also become the most practical animal she could think of, for her plans on navigating the war ahead of her. Hermione felt as if she had swallowed a whole bottle of Felix Felicis. _Whatever spirit is smiling on me from beyond the veil, Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! For surely I must have had some ethereal help with this!_ She called out into her own mind.

Hermione flew down to the meadow she had passed out in the night before, and transformed back into her self. She grabbed her bag off the ground and slung it over her shoulder. _Please let it transform with me!_ She sent a silent prayer out into the universe and transformed. It did transform with her! _Oh thank merlin!_ She called out. The bag didn't have much in it, but it did have Harrys invisibility cloak.

 _Where to now?_ Hermione asked her self. She hadn't told any one where she was going, or what she was up to. Even Ron didn't know why she needed the mandrake leaf, he just blindly trusted Hermione when she told him she needed it for reasons she couldn't tell him. If any of them knew, and were caught, and a death eater was able to pull out that information, her chance of getting the Resurrection Stone out of the Forbidden Forest would disappear, and there truly would be no hope left for the wizarding world. Maybe even the rest of the world, too. Hermione shuddered to think of her parents, still hidden away in Australia, where she hoped they were still safe.

She could go to Grimmauld Place, where she knew at least some of the order would be passing in and out, she didn't necessarily need to tell them about her new ability. _My new ability..._ Hermione though to herself with wonder. _Oh How I wish I could show someone!_ It saddened Hermione greatly to think she had to keep it to herself for now.

 _But Think of the information I could gather! I could even carry mail to the ministry, and intercept letters between ministry members and death eaters. And Hogwarts staff, too!_ That giddy feeling bubbled up in Hermiones stomach again, and for a few small minutes the pain of being on the consistently losing side of the war ebbed away. The waterlogged girl felt light, and free and valid for a short time as the morning sun shined down on her, making her brown hair shine, and her pale cheeks get a little rosy. She almost looked like her old self, sitting amid the lush Oak trees, marveling in the glow of a solidly earned accomplishment. She reveled in this feeling more so than when her first corpereal Patronous sprung forth from her wand, the embodiment of light and happiness.

 _If I can do this, I can do anything. Maybe_ , she added hastily, never one to rest on her laurels. _Grimmauld Place for now, then._


	2. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Oh, Hermione! Hello, hello!" Neville nearly gasped out as he entered the warm, familiar kitchen. He had been surprised see Hermione seated at the scrubbed wood table.

"Hello, Neville," Hermione said warmly, getting to her feet to to hug him. He had gotten so _skinny_ as of late, she felt his ribs and she hugged him. But then again, they all had. Stress hadn't done any of them well. They hugged for a long minute. In this new world, you never knew if it would be your last time seeing each other, and human kindness was few and far between.

"Luna is here, too. And Percy. Where is Ron?' Neville asked, breaking away to look down at her. Hermiones stomached dropped, and when she looked up to meet Nevilles gaze she watched realization dawn. "Please tell me he isn't dead..." Neville trailed off, beginning to ring his hands together.

"Not..not that I know of," Hermione answered, sighing. They both looked up as the kitchen door opened again, and luna serenely waltzed in.

"Oh! Hello, Hermione, hello," Luna said, walking up to Hermione and embracing her immediately. Luna smelled lovely, like the pages of a well loved book. Hermione hugged her back with force, determined to make these small instances of human intimacy count. When Hermione pulled back she saw that tears were trailing down Luna's pail face.

"Luna, are you ok?" Hermione asked as Neville reached a hand out to her.

"I am just so happy to see you," Luna answered back simply, taking care to reach out and grab Hermiones hand. . "Percy is here, too."

"I want to hear what has been happening with you lately, and what happened with..with Ron," Neville stammered out, smoothing his jumper and fidgeting on his feet.

"Can we go into the front room, and maybe have a fire in the fire place? We can all exchange information. And I didn't mean to surprise you Neville, I just sort of got over whelmed with the feelings of being back here that I needed a minute to take it all in before checking for residents," Hermione said, turning towards the kitchen door.

"I'm just happy to see you," Neville answered warmly, as he started to walk out of the kitchen.

"Hermione!" Percy said, getting to his feet as soon she she walked into the room, and grabbing her up into a hug. _My cup runneth over today,_ she thought contently as she layed her cheek against his chest. "Ron..." Percy trailed off, breaking away.

"Ron was taken by a death eater, about two months ago. I don't know who took him, I would guess the height at around 5'10", but I didn't see any facial features and I was distracted, so my height guess could be wrong." Hermione said bluntly. There was little time for mincing words these days. The faces around her just looked at her. So many of their friends had been killed, taken, broken.

"They will use him to try and lure you out," Percy said with certainty, sitting back down at the writing desk he had been seated in before. "They see you as some one to worry about. I am sure he is alive." Percy finished, reclining in his seat.

"I hope they aren't hurting him. He can be so rude..and outspoken. Those death eaters don't like it when you're outspoken." Luna added, taking a seat her self. Hermione noticed there were some bruises on Lunas arms, old and faded green ones.

"Where have you been since he was taken?" Percy asked, studying Hermiones face carefully.

 _I have a choice to make now._ She thought, mentally bracing herself. _Will they trust me enough not to pry into the issue, or do I lie?_ She chewed it over for a second, before continuing. "I apparated to Godrics Hallow, without really thinking. I finally apparated to The United States when I wasn't sure where to go. I wanted to come here but..I had something I needed to do," She eyed them all, before continuing. "To be clear, It would be dangerous for me to share with you what I have been doing. That information would be worth your life, in the right hands. With such heavy losses, I absolutely could not risk it. "

With that, Neville faces reddened. "Hermione, enough. The secrets aren't doing the order any good! The horcruxes, your missions with Harry and Ron to destroy them, that was enough! We can't be strong if we are ignorant!" Neville spat out.

"I am inclined to agree with Neville," Percy answered, somewhat calmer than Neville, but with an edge to his voice.

"Harry's sense of heroism and wanting to do everything solo was his undoing. We all witnessed that. Urging us away from his duel with you-know-who?" Neville said, taking a step closer to Hermione.

"I take all that into consideration," Hermione responded. "You're feelings are valid. But, please, just know that not even Ron knew the extent of what I was planning.I cannot risk it. I..." She stopped. What could she say? _Hey, so I became an animagus! And I plan to get the Resurrection Stone from the Forbidden Forest! And I plan on stealing the Elder wand! Ya know, to bring Harry back, so he can finish what he started. So what's for dinner?_ She knew it would sound like utter madness, and absolute folly.

"I trust you," Luna said, smiling up at Hermione. "Say what you can, and don't bother with what you can't. I am happy to help in any way I can," Luna said, beaming up at Hermione.

"Thank you Luna," Hermione couldn't help but beam down at the sweet natured girl. She looked up to meet Nevilles eyes, and his expression had softened. Perhaps he didn't want to go against Luna, or perhaps he didn't want to spend his renunion with Hermione arguing with her, whichever the case, he sat down and raised his hand dismissevly.

"Not sure what you know about what's been going on, still no word on Mcgonagalls whereabouts, but we have managed to get Justin Finch-Fletchy and Dennis Creevey into safe hiding, Moody is their secret keeper. He may be around in a few days, if you are still here," Neville said passively.

"Moody has a connect some how on the inside, and usually on the know before you-know-who makes a big move. He has replaced Olympe Maxine with Alecto Carrow, and Olympes whereabouts remain unknown. Penelope is there, usuing polyjuice potion to maintain status as a student and relay us information. Hagrid wanted to go to france to look for Olympe, but Bill somehow convinced him to stay with him at the cottage." Percy said, sniffing when he got to Penelopes name. Hermione sympathized, as understood that pain deeply.

"She is very brave," Luna added, sharing a warm smile with Percy, who had a lone tear trailing down his face.

"Madame Pomfrey has been rescued, and is recovering with Lavender Browns parents." Neville added, looking down when he said Lavenders name. Hermione felt a rock in her stomach. Witnessing Lavenders attack from Fenrir had been horrific, and Hermione still dreamed about it sometimes. She sat back in her chair and closed her eyes, allowing the warmth from the blazing fire to seep into her skin. All good news was laced with the ashes of all the loss they had suffered.

"Any news on the ministry?" She asked, opening her eyes slightly to look at Percy. She imagined the ministry may be a sore subject for Percy, as it was his dream to work there, and when he finally succeeded, it was ripped away.

"Not much. Luna sneaks out to collect Prophets when she can, but we have no one of the inside now, and a few prophets every few weeks aren't exactly illuminating on the outside world. We know any one less that pure blood must register at the ministry, with papers from both sides of parentage. Floo networks have been shut down, save for specially approved residences..I.E. important Death Eaters," Percy nearly spit out.

Hermione looked over to see Neville leaning over Luna and stroking her hair. She grinned slyly. _A little more love in the world couldn't hurt,_ She thought quickly, before turning to look around them room. Even the smell of the walls brought back memories, from what seemed like 20 years ago. Order meetings, and all the members that were long since gone. Hermione felt that same noose around her heart make its presence known. She slumped in her chair, and allowed her self to feel how tired she truly was. And how dirty, she nearly forgot she has pass out during a rain storm last night.

"Erm, do you guys mind if I take a shower? And maybe get some sleep? I am dead tired," She said, stifling a yawn.

"Of course, I'm sure you know the way," Neville said, gesturing his hand up the wide stair case.

As Hermione stood, something drifted down from her hair. Luna reached her hand out, and caught a tawny feather before it could land on the thread-bare rug.

"Oh, how pretty," Luna said, holding the feather up to the fire.


	3. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Hermione was trapped in a dream she had absolutely no desire to be in. She was watching, for the 100th time, Harry's lifeless body fall to the floor after Macnair's killing curse hit him square in the back. The great hall swayed around her, in the fluid, distorted way dreams do, and around her were the stretched and haunting faces of Order members waxing and waning in and out of view. In her dream, Voldemort's scream of rage rocked the Great Hall to it's very foundation, just as had happened so long ago. His own Killing curse was shot instantly and landed in Macnairs chest, killing him with little regard to the chaos unfolding around it. There were Death Eaters shouting all around her, Hagrid howling from the main entrance, a flash of two blonde heads in her peripheral. Hermione could feel Aurthur Weasleys hands on her shoulders, pulling her backwards, away from the menacing rage unleashing it self in front of her.

"Dad, go!" She heard Ron scream from her left, as he scooped a stunned Hermione into his arms and took off running.

Just then Hermiones eyes fluttered open with a start as she felt a hand close on her shoulder and give it a shake, pulling her from her haunted self conscious and causing her to sit straight up.

"I'm sorry Hermione, I didn't mean to frighten you," Luna said serenely, putting her hand back down to her side. Her cheeks were flushed, and her blonde hair lay around her head in a very pretty way.

"You're fine, Luna, really. Is everything ok?" Hermione asked, anxious to know why she was woken up, and instinctively reaching for her wand. _I have turned into such a paranoid person. Goodness,_ Hermione mused grimly.

"Yes- Bill and Fleur are here. It's so hard to travel these days, and we see them so rarely that I thought you might want to see them before they have to leave again," Luna said, gesturing with her hand towards the door. Hermione noticed she still had one of radish earrings, as it dangled from her ear.

"Oh, erm, yes, thank you for waking me. I very much would like to see them." Hermione answered beginning to rise from the musty bed she had slept on. "Let me just..." She trailed off realizing she had no clothes to change into, save her dirty ruined jumper and ratty jeans she had arrived in.

"I have some spare robes, if you would like something fresh to where," Luna offered, eyeing Hermione's discarded jumper on the floor.

After Hermione had dawned Luna's robes, which were a soft, fuzzy gray color, she head down stairs towards the sound of a warm conversation drifting up from the kitchen. A mouth watering smell drifted up with it, and Hermiones stomach lept. She hadn't realized how utterly _hungry_ she was. What was the last thing she had eaten? The small, stale piece of bread in the Americas.

" 'Ermione!" Fleur said, rising to her feet elegantly as Hermione entered the cozy kitchen. " 'Ow good to see you!" She said, hugging her tightly. Hermione noticed a bulge in Fleurs stomach as she did so.

"And you, Fleur, I have missed you and Bill," Hermione answered, breaking away to meet Bill with a one-armed hug as he made his way over.

"We 'aven't seen you in so long..'Ermione, please tell us how you are...and anyzing else you can share wiz us," Fleur said, french accent as pronounced as ever, meeting Bill's eyes quickly as she sat back down at the scrubbed would table.

"I think we should all eat first, I, myself am famished, and imagine everyone else is, too," Percy said from his own seat at the scrubbed wood table, already spooning some mashed potatoes onto his plate. "And thank you again, Bill, for bringing us supplies. We were running on canned beans before this," Percy finished, bowing his head toward his brother.

"Please, Percy, It's nothing. We wish we could find real meat to bring to you guys," Bill answered, taking a seat next to Fluer.

"You brought real coffee with you, and for that I could die happy," Neville called happily from his place next to the fire, sipping contently from a chipped mug.

"Oh is there really coffee?" Hermione asked, awestruck. Coffee was an amenity she hadn't though about in so long that she forgot it existed.

Neville passed a mug down the table to her, and she sipped it slowly, allowing the rich taste to fill her senses. _This is heaven,_ Hermione thought gladly. Trying once again to pull her self away from that waterlogged girl and live in the goodness of the moment at hand.

"Fleur, have you heard from Penelope?" Percy asked quickly, between bites of food.

"I have received no news, unfortunately," Fleur said, sighing.

Hermione felt puzzled. Why wouldn't Penelope contact Percy her self? _Actually why is Penelope there, and not Fluer? Surely she would blend in better than Penelope, already knowing the school and the culture._

Bill must have picked up on her confused expression, because he cleared his voice and said "Penelope has been undercover at Beauxbatons, taking polyjuice potion to look like a young witch named Aloisia Boucher, who no loner wishes to continue her magical education at Beauxbatons, and is living with a Muggle man somewhere in Italy, choosing to live as a muggle and give up the magical world. Aloisia Boucher's mother, Margaux Boucher is distantly related to Fleur's Mother, Apolline, from her non-veela side. We have put together a well cripted code that Penelope uses, when 'writing to her mother' that Margaux uses to update Apolline on her distant cousins progress at Beauxbatons, which Apolling decodes, and then recodes again in letters to Fluer that we use to keep up to date on what you-know-who is up to at the school. Fleur couldn't do it her self because...well, because she's pregnant." Bill finished with a flush, reaching a hand out to Fleur and clasping her shoulder.

"I'm so happy for you both!" Hermione said, almost sincerely. _Not a great time for a pregnancy, really,_ Hermione thought, _But any chance for love and happiness in this world shouldn't be shunned or frowned upon. IT should be embraced while the opportunity is here._

"Thank you, 'Ermione," Fluer smiled at her her.

"It's going to be a girl," Luna said, nodding towards Fluer.

"I don't zink so,' Fluer responded, rubbing her belly. "I have dreams et will be a boy."

"And she will not have the Weasley's red hair," Luna finished, turning back to her own plate, despite Fleurs grimace.

"Percy told me Ron was taken," Bill said, turning his face towards Hermione.

"Yes." She answered, not sure how to go on. Although Luna seemed ok with her need for secrecy, Neville and Percy didn't. She couldn't guess how Bill and Fleur would feel. "By a death eater, perhaps 5'10" in height. He was hooded, and I was panicked so I couldn't see any features. I am not sure if I can even trust my own assessment of his height, honestly," Hermione spoke softly, hating that she had to picture the scene again.

"Where were you when this happened?" Bill asked, brushing some of his flaming red hair out of his face.

Hermione chewed her bottom lip, and moved her fork around on her plate. If they knew she had sought out Herbert Beery's home, just to steal a mandrake leaf, how much could they deduce from that. How lethal could that information be? Herbert Beery had been the Herbology professor at Hogwarts until He retired and Professor Sprout took over. He had been living a quiet life, ignoring the warring world around him, out side of Bangor, in Wales. When the Mandrakes had started to scream, he had come doddling out into his green house, with ear muffs on and wand lifted at the ready. He looked ancient, and Hermione guessed he had to be about 100 years old. She remembered being so afraid Death Eaters would find out they were there, and kill all three of them. She felt Terrible to stun him, but she had felt it necessary at the time. Little had her and Ron known, all retired Hogwarts professors were being watched very closely by the Death Eaters, and one had appeared behind Beery almost instantly.

"I don't know that I can tell you," Hermione finally said. "But-please- before you get concerned..or..or riled up, it's a necessary you all know as little as possible, becua-"

"Oh, I 'ave 'eard that before," Fleur cut her off, coldly. "And all the secrets kept in the Order did more damage than good," Fleur finished strongly, straightening her back. "Wiz so many of us gone, we need to unite togezer stongly. We must all fight this together," Fleur said, her face softening slightly as she rubbed her belly.

"Fleur, I get that. But, erm, this is something that really musn't get out. If they get wind we are putting a retaliation plan together, they will kill for leads. " Hermione said, trying not to sound cold, herself.

"They are already killing us, if they catch us," Neville piped up from the end of the table. "With..with Harry gone, they don't need to torture us for information or leads."

Hermiones heart sank. _Ron isn't dead,_ She told the noose around her heart. _Like Percy said, They will want to lure me out. They will want me in custody._

"I do not believe Ron is dead,' Percy said, reassuringly, to Hermione, as if he could read her mind.

"I hope so. I'm so tired of all the death," Luna said, still sounding as serene as earlier.

"Let me break this down for you. This plan will not work if they even think we have a plan," Hermione said, trying to sound strong, trying to pull from her soul the strong, confident girl she had been before. She remembered a time when she spoke self assuredly. "As close to their guards being down as they can, is the only way this will work. If they tighten security even just slightly more, this opportunity will be gone, and we will have nothing." Hermione said, taking another sip of her coffee.

"Ok." Bill said, simply.

"Ok? ok? Bill?" Fleur responded, swiveling in her chair to look at him.

"Fleur, she feels like she can't tell us. Than ok. I won't spend my limited time here bickering amoungst ourselves. I trust Hermione," Bill said, stroking Fleurs bright, silky hair.

Just than, Bill pulled a small coin out of his pocket, that Hermione recognized immediately.

"I can't believe those are still around!" Hermione marveled, looking at the galleon Bill had in his hand, the same ones she had bewitched for DA meetings, so long ago in her Hogwarts days.

"Yes, and it is changing which must mean Hagrid is trying to reach us," Bill said, starting to rise from his seat. "We must return home anyways. Hermione, great to see you, and we will be back as soon as we can." Bill and Fleur quickly hugged every one in the room, and made for the back entrance, where they could apparate safely off the back stoop, before anyone could see them. After they had gone, Hermione smiled to her self, to think of Hagrid, staying in Bill and Fleur's tiny cottage. She wished she could travel over to see him, hug him, share a cup of tea. Perhaps when the daunting task at hand was over, she could reclaim some of her past pleasantries...perhaps.


	4. chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

It was very drafty, and chilly in Grimmauld Place that evening, and Hermione pulled Luna's borrowed robes around her tightly. She was sitting on the bottom steps of the main staircase, thinking herself into a terrible migraine. _So, i'm an animagus. step one, check. Can't tell anyone, though, and I'm stumped on what to do next. It would be really nice to have others helping form my next plan._ She thought, wistfully.

She could hear the sound of a quill scratching into parchment in the next room, probably Percy writing another cryptic letter out to his parents. Hermione had learned they were staying with Andromeda Tonks, holed up in Minerva Mcgonagalls family home, with Moody again as secret keeper. They also had Teddy Tonks with them, and Angelina Johnson. George Weasley had gone to do some work with his brother Charlie, trying to locate Mcgonagall who they all feared was impervuised...or dead. She also learned Moody had an unnamed connection to the Death Eaters. Someone who couldn't give them a surplus of information, but everything they gave was true, and all of it was appreciated. Moody was to set up a safe life for them away from the war in exchange, when they no longer felt safe gathering information. Hermione had gone through her mental list of people affiliated with the Death Eaters to see if she could guess who it was, but that had only started her migraine and she decided to stop thinking about those people.

 _I wish I knew who was in possession of the Marauders Map._ Hermione thought, clutching her hands into firsts. She needed to get into the forbidden forest. But _How?_ If she was in her animagus form, that would be fine. Unless someone in the castle had the Marauders Map and was able to see her gallivanting about the property. _Does it even show the Forest? I wish I could speak with George and maybe get some answers._ Hermiones frustrations did nothing to improve her migraine, and she felt her stomach curling up as a pulse made it self present in her temple.

Just than, she heard the back entrance door open with a bang, and feet shuffling in. Even though Hermione knew it was an Order member, she still jumped to her feet and pulled her wand out.

"Moody, hello, you gave me such a fright!" Hermione said, lowering her wand and rushing over to hug the weathered Wizard. Although it had only been 6 months or so since Hermione had seen him, Moody looked as though he had aged ten years. his magic eye swiveled to see Hermione better and he cracked a hardened grin.

"Well, hello there 'Mione. How are you?" He said, embracing her back. He smelled like grass, and rain, and his robes hung loosely around him. _How much weight have we all collectively lost?_ Hermione thought in passing, before backing up to answer Moody.

"I am as good as can, in light of circumstances," Hermione grinned. What else could be said? Were any of them well and truly _peachy_ these days? She almost giggled. _All this human interaction is getting to me,_ She thought gleefully, remembering her month of absolute solitude over in the Americas.

"Well, same, same on my end. I have news, I want a cup of coffee...I know Bill brought some, I want to sit down and drink it before telling you lot what I know," Moody said, already moving towards the kitchen.

Neville and Luna were seated at the scrubbed wood table, playing with a muggle deck of cards. Moody snickered to see it, and took a seat down next to Neville.

"Hello Moody, yes i'll make some coffee," Neville said, already rising from his seat and rolling his eyes goodnaturedly, turning to wink at Luna.

"Hello Moody," Luna said, gathering the playing cards up off the table. "Your eye looks beautiful today," She finished placidly.

"Er..thank you Luna," Moody answered reaching out for the cup of coffee Neville was handing him.

Hermione Reached for a cup, hoping the coffee would do something to ease her migraine.

Percy walked into the kitchen just than, Holding some rolled up parchments in his hands, looking flushed and smiling slyly. "I thought I heard you make an entrance," Percy said, reaching up for his own cup of coffee from Neville. "I have been working on something that I am eager to share," Percy said, laying the rolls of parchments down in front of him. "Luna, could you take this roll, open it, and read it?" Percy asked, extending a roll of parchment to her. On the outside, in Percy's neat handwriting was "Allistair Moody", scrolled above the wax seal.

Luna slid her tiny finger gently under the wax seal and the parchment rolled open. The parchment was completely blank.

Percy slammed his fist down on the table, causing them all to jump. "Aha!" He cried, a wide smile spreading across his reddening face. "Now, Luna, can you close the parchment and reseal the wax?" Percy ask, moving to brush his hair out of his face.

Luna did just that and motioned to hand it back to Percy, who shook his head and gestured towards moody.

"Moody, if you would," Percy said, licking his lips and eyeing the roll of parchment. Moody tore threw the wax seal, and unrolled the parchment to see "Hello, Moody" scrolled in a neat scrawl in the center of the parchment. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" Percy cried, jumping to his feet.

"Well done, mate," Neville said, reaching a hand out to clap him on the back. "I wondered why you had taken over every piece of parchment in the house," Neville mused, picking Moody's parchment up and examining the text.

"Brilliant," Hermione said, smiling with delight. _We are capable. Despite are loses, we are capable._

"Percy, you are a wonder," Luna said, reaching her small fist across the table to briefly clasp Percy's hand.

"Wait until I show your mother this. She'll be a right proud one, she will. And your dad, too." Moody said, pocketing the roll of parchment. Percy's face seemed to glow with the pride at what he had done.

"That's an impressive feat. Will you share with us how you did it? Oh to have safe mail again!" Hermione said, sitting back in her seat.

"Of course, of course," Percy answered, blushing profusely. "I did this for the Order,"

"Now, on to news. Amycus Carrow was appointed head master of Durmstrang, With Blaise Zabini appointed Potions Master. I've arranged a meeting with Viktor Krum and Atanas Lyuben, former students of the school with very strong ties. I believe you are all acquainted with Krum." Hermione felt her throat tighten slightly with the mention of Viktor Krum's name. _It would be awfully nice to see him again..._ Hermione thought quickly, before turning her attentions back to Moody.

"I don't want to think what the worlds next generation of witches and wizards are going to be like with The Carrows running Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, and Antonin Dolohov heading Hogwarts." Moody look down sadly, and Hermione shuddered.

"Bastards," Neville breathed under his breathe.

"I have also been informed You-Know-who intends to take over control of London. He doesn't care if muggles die in the process," Moody said starkly, sighing again. _It's not like I had been expecting good news anyways,_ Hermione thought, inwardly sighing.

"I will update you lot with more news as I get it. My connect only knows so much, as they aren't a Death Eater themselves." Moody said.

"Are they safe?" Luna asked, leaning her face towards Moody's.

"As safe as can be. If that ever changes I may need to cash in some favors with you lot. I promised them safety in return for this information, which has all proven to be valuable, and I intend to honor that promise." Moody began to rise from his chair. "oh, and Percy, will you teach me how to do that trick with the parchment? I can teach every one else, maybe, and we can figure out how to start mailing each other again."


	5. Chapter 6

_**A/N..I hope you guys are enjoying! Let me know if you think anything doesn't make sense, or fit the story.**_

 **Chapter 6**

The air in Grimmauld Place was still, and quiet as Hermione sat on the edge of the musty bed she had been sleeping on. She was listening to hear if any one in the house was awake. She had been itching to transform into her animagus form since she had returned to Grimmauld Place, four days earlier, but couldn't bring her self to risk it with the house so busy.

 _If one of them sees an owl in the house, they will be suspicious, and try to investigate how it got into the house, who it belongs to, why it's here. That'll be a ball to deal with,_ Hermione thought dejectedly. Her and her house mates had spent they day trying to learn how to bewitch parchment with Percy's new bit of magic, and it had been a welcome distraction from the monotony that was life in hiding. Hermione had picked the incantation up fairly quickly, only needing two pieces of parchment to master the technique. Luna had taken a bit longer, but Hermione wondered if that hadn't been for Neville sake, to make him feel better about how long the process took him. He, true to form, had a bit more trouble learning the bewitchment, and it had taken about ten rolls of parchment and most of the day for him to pick it up. When he eventually had, the four house mates had allowed them selves a few minutes of unbridled happiness as they congratulated each other, and cheered to Percy's wits. It had felt nice. It had felt _normal._ It had pulled Hermione back to a time when they had been stuffed into the Room of Requirement, trying to learn new spells and hexes as Harry guided them. That had been a funny time. Sure, they were staring down the barrel of a loaded shotgun that was the rise of The Dark Lord and his disciples. Sure the Ministry was in peril, and Umbridge's corruption loomed over the students like dark storm clouds looming over a calm ocean. But they had each other- and more so than that, they had hope. The mountain before them seemed tall, and monstrous. But it also seemed climeable.

Hermione stood suddenly, and crept to her door. She couldn't hear anything beyond the sounds of wind through the old houses rafters. _Now, or never,_ Hermione thought quickly, took a deep breath and transformed.

She suddenly seemed so much closer to the ground, and was filled again with that feeling of lightness. _This is amazing,_ She though to herself delightedly. She spread her wings and flew over to the dresser, that was against the south wall of her room.

 _I want to go outside,_ She thought abruptly. But she knew that would be stupid. Although Grimmauld Place was under every piece of defensive and offensive magic know to wizard-kind, there was always that small chance some Death Eater or ministry member was lurking about, with some new bit of magic that could leverage them entrance. Better to not tempt fate, she supposed, feeling crestfallen.

She longed to spread her new wings and fly through the streets, unseen and unaccounted for. If the Order knew about her new ability, they would surely put her to use, gathering information and spying about the Ministry, or Hogwarts. She would have been elated to do those things, of course. But getting the Resurrection Stone, and the Elder Wand, were paramount. For over throwing Voldemort, for fixing all this mess the world around her had become. For bringing back Harry. Truly bringing him back, not the shells of a human souls come back as when the Resurrection stone was used alone. But, coupled with the Elder Wand? Harry would cross back over the Veil as he was confident that the stone, the wand, and Lily Potters blood were the trifecta needed to complete this undertaking. Lost in thought, a sudden banging noise erupted from downstairs. Hermione transformed back to her human self hastily and grabbed for her wand. She heard the sound of voices roaring to life, and feet stamping on the old hard-wood floor downstairs.

Hermione quickly bounded down the stairs, stopping up short when she reached the bottom step and almost falling flat on her face. She managed to grab the Bannister and right her self before that happened. Her jaw fell open as her brain connected faces to names, and realized Moody was standing in the back entrance way with none other than Narcissa Malfoy, and Draco right behind her.

"Moody, bloody hell, _they_ were your connection?" Neville Asked, not lowering his wand. His other arm was extended in front of Luna, as if the to shield her from what ever this situation was. Percy Finally made it down the stairs, straightening his robes and looking disconcerted, eyes dashing madly between Narcissa and her son.

"Alright, everyone calm down," Moody said, not moving an inch from his defensive stance in front of the Malfoys.

"Hello Draco, Hello Mrs. Malfoy," Luna said easily, reaching one of her small hands up in salutations. Draco grimaced at her and Narcissa sniffed.

They both looked disheveled. Draco's blonde hair was spiked wildly about his head and his cloak was horrible torn around him. His face looked pail, and his grey eyes looked dark, and danced about the room madly. There appeared to be blood dripping down one of his hands, and he only had one shoe on. Narcissa's blonde hair looked singed on one side, and she had one eye just starting to darken into a black eye. Her cloak hung raggedly off her shoulders, torn through the yolk in the back, and her visible arms were covered in cuts and bruises.

"Allistair, are you positive this is a safe place?" Narcissa hissed, her eyes turned to Nevilles still raised wand.

"Lets all just sit down around the fire and talk about this real quick. Longbottom, put your wand away. Lovegood, go make a fire in the Front Room. Granger, Weasley, is there any tea or coffee left?" Moody's magical eye swiveled around wildly, lighting on one face to the next. When no one moved, Moody snapped out "Today, would be nice you lot." And they all scurried off, Neville and Luna to the front room, and Percy and Hermione to the kitchen.

Hermione reached into one of the cubbards and found a sugar bowl. There wasn't any milk in the house, but they had sugar at least. Percy was heating the kettle. Their coffee supply had dwindled to nothing, but there was still tea.

"Do we have a tea tray?" Hermione asked, her voice shaking slightly. _What in the hell are the Malfoys doing here?_ She thought wildly.

"Err, in that cubbard, I think," Percy answered, his own voice quivering.

 _Just when things seemed settled down, the world drifts off it's axis once again. And I expect Moody'll want us to house them. And Feed them. And deal with them._ Hermione thought darkly, her brain flashing through images of Draco in their 6th year, brooding and menacing, tasked with ending Dumbledore's life.

When They had sufficiently put the tea tray together, Percy and Hermione entered the Front room. Narcissa was seated on one of the threadbare, but still plush, arm chairs. Her back was ram rod straight, and she held her head up highly still. Current circumstances had not seemed to have wavered her pride, it would appear.

Draco had his back to them all, leaning against a wall and attempting to heal his arm with his wand.

Luna hurried over to Hermione and took the tray out of her hands, placing it on the coffee table. "Thank you, 'Mione." She said softly, picking up a cup of tea.

"Yes, thank you," Neville said automatically, eyes trained on Dracos back.

"Narcissa, would you like a cuppa?" Moody asked, gesturing towards the tray. She sniffed, and after a moments hesitation nodded.

Hermione handed her a cup of tea with a shaking hand. It did not go unnoticed. _Look at me, serving tea to one of the Death Eaters wives. What in the name of Merlin is this?_ She thought bitterly.

"Moody..." Percy began, leaning against one of the chairs, but looking much to keyed up to sit.

"Alright, so everyone here knows each other more or less. Narcissa here has been my connection on the inside. As you can see, things went wrong tonight and here we all are. Narcissa has given us extremely valuable information about you-know-who's plans, and comings-and-goings. It has been valuable to us all," Moody said, his eyes catching Neville's. "And I promised her, and by extension Draco, protection and a chance to escape from the Death Eaters in return. Until I can arrange something else, this place is my only option."

It was quiet in the room as every one digested what Moody had just said. Hermione looked up and briefly caught Draco's eyes, before he turned back towards the wall and continued to work on his arm. She involuntarily shuddered. _You've brought arrogance and deceitfulness into this house, Moody._ She thought angrily, meeting Moody's eyes.

"In case you lot hadn't noticed, there is a war going on. Conditions aren't ideal. I don't have time to place peace maker. No fighting, not bickering, just suck it up and deal with it until something else can be arranged," Moody Barked, directing a few words in turn to each of them. His magical eye had swiveled in his head and was looking mainly at Draco's back.

"In case you hadn't noticed, you've brought one of the conspirators into this house, responsible for Dumbledore's death," Neville spat in retort. _Pulling the sword of Gryffindor out of the sorting hat, and killing Nagini really changed Neville,_ Hermione mused, watching a boy she had scene freeze up at the first thought of confrontation, raising his voice to Moody. _But I suppose the war has changed all of us, really._

"Longbottom, Snape killed Dumbledore. Draco was a child than, and Dumbledore himself believed we could sway these two to away from the you-know-who." Moody retorted, starting to sound irritated.

Hermione watched Draco's head turn as Moody spoke, and his eyes flashed when Moody called him a child. _How the bloody hell does Moody see him as trust worthy?_

"And how can you ensure our safety with them here-" Neville began, face starting to turn a violent shade of red.

"Longbottom we have every bit of magic know to man hiding and protecting this place-" Moody answered, hands turning in to fists.

"I'm not talking about from the outside world!" Neville cut him off. "I'm talking about ensuring our saftey from _that one!"_ Neville spit out angrily, gesturing with his wand towards Dracos back.

Draco turned suddenly with that, and moved closer to his mother. "In case you very much hadn't noticed, Longbottom, my mother and I were brought here by one of your own, who we have been clandestinely helping for _months now._ We have been outed and _our lives have been forfeited on the other side. Because we have been feeding Moody information- accurate information!_ Did you think that was some cunning ploy to gain entrance to Grimmauld Place? Would my father be _dead_ if this one some _bloody ploy to get in here and finally rid the world of Neville Longbottom and his band of merry men?!"_ Draco bellowed out, pulling his own wand out, his eyes flashing, as he moved closer to Neville.

 _Actually not a bad premace to gain access to us at all,_ Hermione thought, immediately growing more suspicious. _Is Lucious truly dead?_ Hermione moved her eyes to look at Narcissa, who had a lone tear trailing down her face.

"Draco, enough. We owe none of them an explanation," Narcissa said, raising one of her hands to Dracos wand arm.

"Enough!" Moody barked out, startling the few of them in the room.

"Lucuios is dead?" Percy asked, directing his question towards Moody.

"Yes, it's a right miracle I made it over here with these two. They are under Order protection, and I mean to get them out of the country at some point. You-know-who's lot knows they are alive, and probably suspects they are with me, or somewhere with the Order. Bill and I will be swinging by tomorrow, to bring supplies and check on things. I have to go now, there are people I need to notify about tonight events. I'm sealing the door behind me, for now. The Death Eaters are out every where tonight, and there numbers are bigger than I had anticipated." Moody started to rise. "Granger, Weasley, a word?" Moody started making his way towards the back entrance.

Hermione fallowed suit, with Percy behind her. The air around them seemed frantic, and loaded with nervous energy. Hermione's throat felt hard, and her migraine from a day ago was starting to resurface.

"Alright, Longbottom isn't going to make this easy, I see that. He won't lay his anger aside for the better of The Order. Keep and eye on things, and try and diffuse the situations as they come. Please," Moody added, looking weary and care-worn. The corners of his mouth were pointing down, and dark bags were blooming under his eyes. His shoulders were slumped, as if the weight of the world was getting heavier with each passing moment.

"I'm not saying to cozy up to them, but try and keep in mind, they did us a great service that cost them gravely." Moody said. _I remember a Moody who couldn't be arsed with Death Eaters and their affiliates._ Hermione thought, marveling at this softer side of Moody presenting itself.

"And if either of them proves troublesome?" percy asked.

"Then lock in one of the rooms till I return, stun them, take their wands, do whats necessary." Moody answered concisely, turning his back on them open the door.

Once he stepped out, Percy and Hermione looked at each other. Hermione suddenly felt very weary, as he she hadn't slept in days. He arms felt heavy at her sidesand her temples were throbbing at the side of her head.

"I'm going to go get a couple of rooms ready for them," Percy trailed off, looking just as tired as Hermione felt.

Hermione walked back into the front room, to see Draco and Narcissa in there alone. They were seated on the couch together, heads bent close, and talking quietly. It was and odd sight to see. The regal Malfoys, be-sodded and filthy, sitting in the Ancient house of Black. She supposed Narcissa had probably been in this home at some point, maybe many times, while it was still inhabited by Blacks. She wondered if it felt surreal for Narcissa, to be back in this dilapidated place, knowing it had been used by the Order for several years now. So many questions swirled in Hermione's mind. _Are they trust worthy?_ Being at the front and center. Moody seemed to accept them, which should be good enough, but Hermione seemed to have a permanent chip on her shoulder since the war started and she didn't know if she could accept them.

"What do you want, Granger?" Draco asked nastily, realizing she was standing in the door way. His eyes were blood shot.

"Percy is getting some rooms together for you both. Separate rooms, but they'll be next to each other." Hermione answered, grimacing at the pair.

Percy emerged behind Hermione, signifying the rooms were ready. As Narcissa and Draco stood to follow him, Narcissa stopped short next to Hermione.

"Thank you," Narcissa said stiffly, although she looked anything but thankful. _Did Narcissa Malfoy just tell ME thank you?_ Hermione thought, bewildered. _What fresh madness is this?_ She puzzled, watching them retreat up the stairs, following Percy.

Hermione allowed her self to fall into one of the thread bare arms chairs, wondering where Neville and Luna had disappeared too. _Probably to Neville's room. I'm sure he won't feel safe having Luna sleep separate from him,_ She mused, thinking back to all the times Harry, Ron, and her had slept side-by-side hunting horcruxes. A sudden pang of sadness hit her, remembering that time so long ago. _And we thought things were grim then! What stupid, naive fools we were._


	6. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The energy in the house the next day was very tense. Neville had knocked on Hermiones door early in the morning, to ask if her she felt that confiscating Narcissa and Draco's wands sounded like a good idea to her. Percy had felt that it would be more prudent for them to keep their wands. If they found themselves under attack, Narcissa and Draco being able to defend them selves would be to their advantage. Luna did not want to take them either, as she felt they were just two scared souls, relying on the kindness of former enemies, and being wandless would make them resentful, and add to discourse in the house.

Hermione had to chew it over before answering. _Are these two even trustworthy? How DO we know if this isn't some ploy to get Order secrets back to the Death Eaters?_

"Maybe we should let them keep them, for now," Hermione had finally answered, much to Nevilles disapointment. Neville was not prepared to put his gaurd down around the Malfoys, he didn't want them here, and he was not being quiet about his opionons.

Draco and Narcissa hadn't surfaced from their rooms since they had enetered them. Neville had been pacing the house like a caged animal, pointing his wand at any little noise, and making his frustration known.

Percy was resigned today, too. He popped his out of his room when Neville had knocked on Hermiones door, as their rooms were across a narrow hall from each other, and retreated after he realized Neville was now trying to campain Hermione to his cause. Luna had cooked them a small breakfast, beans and some small bread rolls, and had devided them onto 6 plates, volunteering to take two of the plates to the Malfoy's room. When hermione had gone to her room after breakfast, she notcied the two plates untouched outside their rooms. _How ungrateful,_ she had thought grumpily. _Food is so scarce for us, it's not exactly like Order members can just go out into the world to grocery shop. They will wish they had eaten that later when we have no food to cook dinner._

Once back in her room, Hermione pulled out a rolled up piece of parhcment that had her own name scrawled across it. She had bewitched a parchment to be a kind of letter to her self, where she could jot down potential ideas for her plan, without worrying about the others stumbling across it.

The weathered parchment had a few random words written helter-skelter across it, "Fly all the way to FF?" was scratched out and under neath, "Aparate to K-C station, than fly." Hermione was at a complete loss. She felt like a novelist experiencing a nasty bit of writer's block, or an artist with no muse. She didn't feel incpable, she just felt stumped. It had been so easy, compared to this, to plan the break-in at The Department of Mysteries. Things had fallen together like puzzle pieces when Ron, Harry and Hermione had each offered up something for the area they had strength in. But Harry was gone, and Ron was missing. Hermione was alone, and that feeling of loneliness had never felt as big as it did now. She was a prisoner to her own secrets, so close to people who would support her, and willingly help her, but unable to divulge. _Water, water every where and not a drop to drink,_ She thought bitterly to herself. She darkly remembered all the times someone had refered to her as 'The brightest Witch of our Generation" and scowled at the taste of those words. _If i'm so bright, how come I cannot figure out my next step?_

There was small knock on Hermione's door than, the sound of which brought Hermione back from the muddied waters of her mind. She was expecting Neville again, but it was Luna standing there instead.

"Erm, Hello Luna," Hermione said.

"Hello, Hermione," Luna answered in her serene way. "I spoke with Narcissa a few moments ago, and since all her clothes are torn, she doesn't have anything clean or whole to wear."

 _Oh, no. Luna's going to ask me for her robes back, and my clothes are in just as bad a shape as Narcissa's._

"I have been checking all the wardrobes in the house, to see if I can't find something clean, or atleast not ripped up, for her to wear," Luna said, oblivious to Hermiones thoughts.

"Oh..er, ok come in." _Why hadn't I thought to do that when I got here? Idiot girl._ Hermione thought to her self, as she moved to let Luna enter her room.

They opened the wardrobe together to find a means pair of black robes hanging off a lone hanger. The black family crest was sewn above the left breast. Despite a layer of dust, and a few loose hairs, it was in pretty good shape.

"Theese will be to big for Narcissa, but maybe Draco can make use of them," Luna said thoughtfully, taking the robes into her hands.

"Erm, Luna? Did Narcissa seak you out to speak to you?" Hermioen asked, curiosity brimming over her.

"Yes, she knocked on my door not long ago, or maybe a few doors trying to find mine," Luna said, as she was usuing her wand to rid the robes of dust.

"Is she...Is she ok?" Hermione asked, not sure how to proceed.

"No," Luna answered back simply, offering no further on the subject. _Narcissa must view Luna as the safest one in the house. Merlin knows that family despises me and my blood, Weasleys are all 'blood traitors' and_

"I'm going to check a few more rooms for anything else, thank you 'Mione," Luna said as she walked out of Hermiones room.

Hermione wanted to seak out Narcissa and ask her a few questions. Regarding security around Hogwarts, and who was still on staff that was there from before the battle of hogwarts. _But I don't want anyone to have an idea what i'm up to,_ She thought miserably, disregarding the thought. She couldn't possibly ask without raising suspicions about her plans, and worse yet, if Narcissa and Draco were double agents of sorts, she couldn't risk Voldemort being privy to her plans either. _Why Did I think I could do this?_ She thought wretchedly, falling face down onto her bed in frustration.

A few hours later, Moody and Bill arrived at Grimmauld Place, soaked in rain, and carrying a bag full of assorted food items. Luna and Neville had been in the kitchen, trying to figure somehing out for dinner, Percy had been in the Front room, scratching away on parchment, and Hermione had been sitting causally on the stair case, reading an old, haggard copy of _Hogwarts, a History_ that she had found on one of the dusty book shelves in the decrepted library on the second floor. She had also been listening for any sign of the Malfoys, as her curiosty around them grew ten fold since their arrival. She even found herself wanting to speak with _Draco_ of all people, morbid interest developing in the fore front of her mind. She felt that, perhaps if she spoe with him at length, she might be able so sus out weather or not he was trust worthy. _And i'm also dying from boredom._

"Bill, Moody, thank you," Percy said, meeting them in the entrance way and reaching for the bag of supplies.

"It's not much, but it's something," Moody grolwed in response, taking his cloak off and hanging it on a hook on the wall. Bill did the same.

"Hello all," Bill said placidly. "I can't stay very long, unfortunarly, and we were hoping to speak with the Malfoys, are they about?" Bill asked, gerstring towards the front room.

"I can fetch them," Luna answered, apearing fro the kitchen and turning towards the staircase." _Has Luna become our diplomat with them?_ Hermione asked herself mentally. _I'm sure the coziness- if you can this coziness!- between them just thrills Neville._

Once they were all awkwardly seated in the front room, and a fire was made in the fire place, Bill pulled a piece of parhcment out of his pocket, and a quill.

Narcissa and Draco were seated on the chaise lounge together, in matching Black family robes, and Luna and neville were standing near the fire place. Percy sat at the rickety writing desk in the cornor, and Hermione, Bill and Moody were on the remaining arm chairs. Draco look so much better than yesterday, his hair was smoothed and his eyes seemed much calmer. Narcissa looked more or less the same, except for the cloean pair of robes she had on. Her hair was still wild around her face, and she still had a neurotic edge to her eyes, as if she pick up and run off at any second.

Neville had his arms crossed and looked very uncomfortable being in the same room with them, but Luna appeared unperturbed.

"Right,"Bill cleared his voice. "We have heard a rumor that Minerva Mcgonagall is being kept at Hogwarts. Can either of you confirm or deny this?" Bill sked, positiong his quill above the parchment.

"I heard she was taken there, but I had not heard anything about her in some months," Narcissa answered, voice shaking slightly.

"Do you know who brought her there? And under what pretense?" Bill asked, writing as he spoke.

"Marcus Fint somehow captured her. We had heard that The Dark Lord was having trouble with some of the things in the head masters office, and felt she could help resolve the issue. I can say confidently, if the issue is resolved, than Minerva is most certainly dead." Narcissa finished with a sniff, reaching a hand out to Draco beside her.

Draco remined motionless as his mother spoke, refusing to make eyes contact with anyone if the room. _I wonder if he is scared to be here. I wonder if he is scared of us? Or maybe just Moody._ Hermione though placidly, not taking her eye sof the Malfoys.

"And have either of you been to Hogwarts recently?" Bill asked, pasuing his quill.

"We have not been there since the battle was over, and were both confined to the manor untill our recent departure." Narcissa answered consicely. _What a feat speaking to her must have been, wonder how Moody acomplished getting around the Manor without raising the alarms?_ Hermione wondered.

"Any idea of security around the place? And how they are mananing people entering and exititing?" With that questions, Hermiones ears pricked up. _Oh, go on,_ Hermione mentally prompted them _. Do tell._

 _"_ There are dementors constanly circling the grounds," Narcissa answered.

"We know that already. Anything new for us?" Moody growled, his magical eye swiveling between Narcissa and her son.

"One fire place, in the slytherin common room, is hooked up to the floo network. It is connected to one other fire place, in the Minister of Magics office. Students do not use the Slytherin room anymore, it is reserved for Ministry Member or Death eaters to use on business. Since the other houses were abolished, the students sleep in which ever dorm they please." Narcissa finished curling her fists in her lap, and looking down. _It looks like she's..ashamed? I don't believe it._ " I can tell you this. Transfiguration class is being taught by Byron Edgecomb, and he is being watched heavily by The Death eaters. He has been accused of being too soft with the children, and harboring muggle sympathies. The Dark Lord keeps him on, as the pool of educated Witches and Wizards fit to teach is very small, and he has considerable transfiguration skill. Should you decide to seak out a link to the school, That would be the opporatune person." Narcissa said, her voice barely above a whisper. _If they were here on Death Eaters orders, that could be a plant._ Hermione though, feeling the weight of that chip on her shoulder again.

"I am familar with his wife, Madame Edgecomb, through her job and the ministry." Bill said, writing again.

"I was in Ravenclaw, with their daughter, Marietta," Luna piped up. "She never hid my posessions from me, like other Ravenclaw memebers," She added thoughtfully.

"Marietta was a sneak, though," Neville responded. "She sold out the DA to Umbridge!"

"Yes, out of fear for her mothers job, not malice to the DA. One rotten decision doesn't mean her family line is spoiled," Moody snapped dismissevely. "We are going to plan a rescue for Minerva if we can, we will be returning with Kinglsey tomorrow to ask a few more questions," Moody stood to rise. "Narcissa, Draco, we weren't able to recover LUcious body." He concluded, his face softening slightly. A small sob escaped Narcissa as Draco put an arm around her. "We will back tomorrow, or possibly the day after if travel seems to dangerous."

"Be good, all of you," Bill said, as he too stood to leave.

"Goodbye, thank you again for the supplies," Luna called, heading towards the kitchen to work on dinner.

As Neville and Percy walked out of the room and towards the kitchen themselves, that morbid curiosity welled up in Hermione again. She wanted to inquire about Lucious's death. She just wanted to talk the Malfoys, feel out their intentions, satiate her interest.

"I was...sorry...to hear about Lucious," Hermione finally said, eyeing the Malfoys, still seated in the chaise as Draco tried to comfort his mother, who was crying quietly. Was she sorry? It was hard to feel sorry, truly. Because of the Malfoys involvment, they had lost so many people on their side. Draco had snuck all those Death Eaters into Hogwarts after all, and Hermione wasn't sure that she could ever let that go.

"Sod off, Granger," Draco finally spit out, eyeing her wearily. There hadn't been any malice in his voice, just resignation. He looked like some one who wanted to be mean, and cruel, but hadn't the energy.

Hermione felt anger blossom inside of her. "You know, you really should have eaten the food luna brought you earlier, instead of letting it turn to waste, theres a war going on outside, encase you failed to notice." She sanpped, as she got to her feet and exited the room. _What a prat,_ she fumed silently. _We take you in, agree to protect you, attempt to feed you...and I even try to be nice! And offer some human curtesies! And you're still the arrogant prick you have always been!_

Hermione Barely made it to the foot of the stairs before the back entrance door banged open, nearly falling off its hinges, and hexes started flying through the air.


	7. Chapter 8

_**a/n...T/W violence in this chapter. Also, any cronstructive critism welcome!**_ **Theres alot of action in this chapter, and I loved writing it.**

 **Chapter 8**

Hermione barely had time to register what was going on before she was blasted backwards in the hallway between the front room and the kitchen. She had been walking towards the staircase when the back entrance had banged open and Moody and Bill had come falling through the door. Colorful hexes had lit up the air around them as unnamed voices and wands peppered the air. Hermione hit the floor hard.

"Protego!" Bill called out, as he was falling. The hex that had been about to hit him seemed to bounce off.

"Impedimenta!" Moody roared pointing his wand at the door way and trying to regain his footing.

"Hermione, a little help?!"Bill called, as he blocked another hex. He was trying to close the door when suddenly a hooded figure squeased his way in. His hood fell away and Hermione recognized Antonin Dolohov, causing her to seize with fear.

"Petrificus Totalus!" Neville yelled from Hermiones right, as he bounded out of the kitchen.

Hermione snapped out of her daze, and pulled her wand. "Stupefy!" She yelled, as another figure emerged behind Antonin's fallen body. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Draco emerge from the front room. Antonin managed to dodge Hermione's spell as he gained entrance to the room.

Moody, who was on his back, yelled out "Locomotor Mortis!" pointing his wand at the new hooded figure, who jumped out of the way and closer to Moody. His hood fell away to reveal Rodolphus Lestrange.

"Immobulus!" Percy yelled, jumping out of the kitchen doorway and pointing his wand at Lestrange.

"Avada Kedavra!" Lestrange yelled, dodging Percys spell. The bright green light that emerged from his wand nearly hit Hermione on it's pursuit to Percy. Percy jumped away just in time, yelling "Protego!"

"Avada Kedavra!" Draco yelled, wand aimed towards Lestrange. Draco missed, and Hermiones heart thumped in her chest. _I guess that is my answer on if I can trust them,_ she thought quickly.

"Stupefy!" Hermione yelled, closing on Moody and actually hitting Lestrange, who feel back through the door way. Hermione reached down to pull Moody up when two more hooded figures entered the door way.

As Bill called out "Alarte Ascendare!" Trying to push the Death Eaters out of the door way, the new hooded figure called out "Immobulus!" and as the spells met, both Bill and the hooded figure were blasted away from each other. Hermione could hear Narcissa screaming behind her now, a shrieking sound that was filling the room.

As Hermione and Moody, now back to his feet, backed away from the doorway, Neville rushed in front of them, yelling "Stupefy!" and hitting the new hooded figure, who's hood feel away to reveal a grey haired man who Hermione didn't recognize. Draco was beside Hermione now, as was Luna, Who was sending angry birds out of her wand that were swooping on the Death Eaters.

"Avada Kevadra!" Draco yelled as the fourth hooded figure trying to make it into the door way. He missed, but this man's hood fell away to reveal a bright eyed man with salt-and-pepper hair.

"Well, well look at this will ya? The traitors are hear after all!" The man said, raising his wand and yelling out "Sectumsempra!" Which The three dodged.

"Fuck you Cassius," Draco responded, and than "Avada Kevadra!"

"Finite Incantatum!" Cassius responded, ending Draco's curse, and grinning. Lestrange was starting to come to now, and Cassius put a hand on his shoulder and helped him up.

"Granger," Draco growled low in her ear as Percy was casting hexes next to them, and Luna was working to block the ones sent their way. "They aren't taking care to keep us alive. Man up and use the killing curse," he finished, before sending another one of his own towards Lestrange, who was able to dodge it.

 _I will dissect that later,_ She thought, grimacing. The truth was, she was sure she would be able to execute the curse correctly, she just didn't want to use it. She felt, somehow, despite all she had done during the war, above it. She wanted to remain that way.

Behind them, Narcissa was still screaming. "Fight back or shut it," Neville bellowed to her, casting another hex towards the death eaters. Antonin was getting up now, as one of his companions undid his petrification.

"REDUCTO!" The Death Eater named Cassius yelled, his wand pointed to the ground below them. The foundation crack wide under neath them, throwing Percy and Hermione forward, while throwing Draco and Luna backwards. Neville was tossed into the kitchen like a rag doll, landing with a heavy thud, and Moody and Bill were knocked towards the stair case.

The Death Eaters took the opporatunity and swarmed into the room amidst the dust and debris falling haphazardly everywhere. Hermione felt a cold, rough pair of hands grab her arms as she lay on the floor in a daze. "Get up, mudblood," She heard the White Haired Death Eater say, trying to pull her up harshly. She resisted, and felt a hard hand slap her face, causing her to see stars. She tuged her arms back in protest and felt a hard punch to her face, which she was sure would leave her eye black, and caused her nose to start bleeding. Consciousness swam before her eyes and she was frightened she might be passing out.

"Confundus!" She heard coming from her left, As Percy stood up and hexed the Death Eater holding her. He dropped Hermione's arms and she crawled backwards away from him. In front of her Draco and Luna were back to back, wildly casting curses and hexes as Lestrange and Cassius circled them.

Near the stair case, Moody and Bill were dueling with Antonin, bright colored flashes of light filling the space around them. It was chaos, and Hermione couldn't catch her breath. Draco made brief eye contact with Hermione, over the newly formed crevice in the floor. His gray eyes seemed somehow vacant, as if he was withdrawn into himself in spite of the bedlam around him. "Granger," He said, almost pleading. "My mother..."

Hermione jumped to her feet and entered the front room. Narcissa was cowering under the writing desk, hiding her head in her hands.

"Narcissa," Hermione said, reaching for her. "Get up, please, help us-" Narcissa shook her head wildly, tears soaking her manic face.

"Get away from me!" Narcissa wailed.

"Get up or I will confund you and make you get up," Hermione said. It wasn't meant to be malicuously, but lives were on the line, theirs included, and Hermione didn't have time for this.

To Hermiones great surprise, Narcissa did get up. Hermione grabbed her hand, and pulled her towards the doorway. "Draco is dueling out there. If you can lend a hand at all, please, get your wits about you," Hermione pleaded, trying to sound soft and commanding at the same time. "There is at least four of them.."

Narcissa nodded curtly, still sobbing a little as they made their way to the crevice. The shouts that filled the hallway were deafening. Hermione put her fears to the side and stepped into battle mode. She could examine her feelings and self-reflection later, when the dust settled. Right now she needed to _act._

She poked her head out of the door and saw the white haired Death Eater register the movement, he turned towards her with his wand raised, but Hermione hit him with "Petrificus Totalus!" Before he could get her with anything. As he fell, she could see Neville emerging from the kitchen. A new figure was looming in the door way, a hulking figure that Hermione recognized Immediately as Golye Senior. There was another figure behind him as well, but Hermione couldn't see clearly who it was. _Is the whole lot of them here?!_ Hermione wondered, desperately, as the scene around her turned grimmer and bleaker.

The wall next to Hermione splintered apart as it was hit with something powerful. Draco and Luna were now battling Lestrange, Cassius, and Goyle Sr.; Neville was dueling with the new figure in the doorway. Narcissa was behind her, and as Hermione turned to ask her to start casting, She heard some one yell "Avada Kevadra!" Behind her. She ducked, but Narcissa did not. She was hit in her chest and fell away, lifeless. Hermione stared down horrified, unable to fully comprehend what had just transpired. The air grew loud, so loud, in her ears and her beat madly in her chest.


	8. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

There had been a time in Hermione's life when, if you had told her she would have felt sorry for the Malfoy family, mainly Draco, she would have laughed until her cheeks hurt. Her? A muggle born witch who was reminded of her blood status, and projected inferiority every time she had been within the vicinity of Draco, or his father? A member of the Order of The phoenix, wasting sympathy on a _Death Eater and his equally prejudiced and wretched mother?_ The thought was absurd! And yet, gazing into the light-less face of Narcissa Malfoy had managed to conjured up some sadness and worry from the noosed heart of Hermione Granger. A fresh wave of cold water was seeping into the waterlogged girl who had already seen some many people be taken from the world early, and unjustly. _The deaths will never end,_ She thought morosely. The sounds around her brought her out of her stupor, as the battles waged on unweildingly.

She turned to see Draco howl in rage, as he sent out a Killing Curse to Goyle Sr, who had undoubtedly been the one to kill Narcissa.

Hermione jumped the crevice and joined the frey. _We need to get out of this room, They have us trapped and they are going to kill us all if we don't get out of this house._ She thought, almost hysterically, while confunding Cassius, and dodging a curse from Lestrage. Moody had been stupefied and lay on the ground in a heap. Bill was Sending curses left and right. Hermione could see more Death Eaters just beyond the door way. _This is not good._ Draco was beside her, sending curses with such fervor that Hermione was afraid he would hit one of their side in the frenzy.

"Granger, Lovegood, you had both better start striking to kill or you won't have a chance," Draco hissed between his own curses. "Buck up, both of you." He finished, dodging his way away from a new Hooded Figure who was clamoring through the doorway and heading for them.

"Percy!" Bill screeched from in front of her, and Hermione spun to see a Death Eater grab Percy, who looked to be stupefied, and carry him out the door. Bill Dodged a curse from Antonin and bounded toward the door, after his brother, but before he could reach the door way Cassius stunned him, and he fell to the ground like dead weight. _Why aren't the shooting to kill now?_ Hermione wondered, grateful Bill had only been stunned, and not killed.

"Lovegood, Down!" Draco yelled, pushing Luna forward and out of the way of a hex. Neville seemed to materialize to Draco's left and shot a hex out at at Death Eater in front of them, nodding to Draco. A hex blasted Luna backwards, where she collided with Neville, who wrapped his arms around her protectively.

"Stupefy!" Hermione yelled, hitting an approaching death eater. _We can't keep fighting like this. They are going to outnumber us, and wear us down._

"We need to get through that door," Neville said, holding a stupefied Luna in his arms while Draco sent spells out next to him.

"Protego!" Hermione cast, thinking. "I'm going to cast reducto, like they did. once it hits, we need to run for that door, together, watching each others back. We need to get Moody out of here, too.." As if on cue, Lestrange appeared next to Moody, and with a pronounced "Mobilicorpus," Began moving Moody out of the House.

"Dammit," Hermione hissed. "At the ready," she continued, raising her wand. "Reducto!" She cast, and the floor between them and the door shook once before cracking open, sending Death Eaters flying.

Neville was up with Luna immediately, and since he was holding her, he couldn't cast. Hermione flanked his right, and Draco fallowed behind. Hermione was casting Protego with every step she took, and could hear Draco sending hexes out behind them

A flash of color shot by Hermione's face, but she ignored it. _Almost..there...almost..._ The hex that had flown by her face, hit Neville instead. He fell and Hermione tripped over him.

A rough pair of hands grabbed Hermione's shoulders and pulled her to her feet. "Granger, go!" Draco growled in her ear.

"But-Neville-and Luna,' Hermione gasped, trying to steady her feet.

"Mobilicorpus!" Draco hissed, starting to move Neville and Luna towards the door way.

Hermione ducked her head from some hexes and made for the door. She passed through the thresh hold with baited breath, unsure if there were any Death Eaters outside the door.

"Granger-" Draco shouted Behind her, and she spun.

Lestrange was behind Draco, with the white haired Death Eater behind him.

 _Bloody hell._ Hermione raised her wand, but Draco had dropped Neville and Luna in order to draw his. Before Hermione could work to pick them up again, Draco was blast backwards into her, making her vision go hazy. Her head hit the cobblestone walkway, and she saw the same stars she had seen earlier.


	9. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

When Hermione had been very young, perhaps 5 or 6 years old, She had fallen down the last two steps on the staircase in her home. Her head had hit the tile flooring so hard, that she had been knocked unconscious. She had been pulled back to consciousness in part by her parents concerned yelling, and in part by the terrible pain in her head that the fall had caused. Her head had ached, and throbbed so much so that her parents feared she had had a concussion. She didn't, thankfully. Her head felt like that now, with jagged, piercing throbs rocking her from the top of her skull to the base, where it met her spine.

 _Neville! Luna!_ Hermione remembered with a start, snapping her eyes open, and trying to sit up. But her eyes weren't met with the scenes of Grimmauld Place's courtyard. She sat up and realized she was sitting against a tree, in a foggy knoll area, with other trees strewn about.

Sweeping her gaze across the area around her, she realized Draco was sitting propped against a tree next to her, eyes closed, breathing softly. With his eyes closed, and no sneer that was usually ever-present on his face, he looked somehow not like himself. He looked...amicable, somehow. He looked like the kind of person who would duel Death Eaters back to back with Luna Lovegood, or urge Hermione to cast to kill. The boy who called her a mudblood, and sought to embarrass her in a long forgotten potions class room by enlarging her teeth, was just a ghost of a memory on this face. Hermione hadn't noticed the day before, but Draco had grown a white-blonde layer of stubble over his jaw that seemed to make his face look less long and sharp. It suited him.

"Draco," She said. He didn't move, or register that he heard her. "Draco, where the bloody hell are we?" She said louder, reaching her hand out to touch his leg. When she made contact, Draco's eyes snapped open and he aimed his wand at her, startled.

"Oh, just-just Granger," He mumbled to him self, lowering his wand.

"Draco where are we?" She asked again.

"First place I could think off- outside of a town Called Arundel, West Sussex area." He answered, closing his eyes again. "Mostly muggle populated."

" _Why?"_ Hermione hissed. " _And where is Neville and Luna? Moody? Bill? Percy?"_ she listed off in rapid fire.

"I realized I had no chance at survival if I tried to help every one, So I grabbed you and aparated to the first place I could think of. Would you rather I have left you to die, or be captured?" He asked nastily, not opening his eyes.

While Hermione could understand the logic in assessing all the options in front of you, and choosing the safest bet, with the best secured outcome, she still didn't like it. Draco had just _decided_ to leave every one behind? Why even grab her anyways? Hermione would have preferred to stay, and fight. She was loathe to abandon more people to the Death Eaters.

"I'm going to aparate back," She said determinedly, rising to her feet.

"Good luck Granger. I'm sure they have grabbed their people, and yours, and taken off to where ever they were expected to bring Order members." Draco responded coolly. "But, fine, go, knock yourself out." He added sarcastically, flinging his hand at her in dismissal.

 _The twats got a point,_ Hermione thought acidly, sitting back down. "So then what's our next move?"

"No sodding idea," Draco answered. "But if you could give me a few moments before prattling on at me with your grating voice, I did just happen to lose my mother-you may have noticed- and would like a minute to collect myself." He said, turning his head away from her.

Hermione's first instinct was to argue back. _There's a war going on! You abandoned Order member who were protecting you! Collect yourself later!_ But she didn't. Her own mother's face popped into her mind's eye, and Hermione couldn't fathom what the pain of losing her would be, especially just days after losing a father, too. So she leaned back against the tree, and closed her own eyes, too.

 _Just bloody great. Harry's invisibility cloak is back at Grimmauld Place. I'll never forgive myself if I lose it for good. Merlin, I hope they're all ok back there._ Hermione felt hopeless. Where could they even go after this? She supposed they could go to Bill's cottage, Fleur would need to be informed of Bill's capture. _What if the Death Eaters had been there too, though? How did they manage to get into Grimmauld Place? Could they do the Same at The Cottage? Or McGonagalls family home? What magic did they use?_ She felt dejected. _I'm sure Malfoy only grabbed me to ensure his own safety with other Order members. Self-centered prat._ Hermione thought coldly. Although she no longer felt that He, or his mother, had been setting them up, him fighting on their side had not erased 7 years of bad blood between them. How many people know of The Malfoys rescue by Moody? What would happen if she _did_ take Draco to the Cottage? _And Fleur is pregnant,_ Hermione remembered, groaning internally. _And Moody is secret keeper for McGonagalls house! What a sodding mess._

Hermione breathed deep and surveyed there area again. All she could see were trees, and grass. And they had nothing. It's not exactly like she could pack an overnight bag during the attack, after all. Her stomach growled lowly in her stomach, reminding her of how ill-prepared she was. She should have been wearing her bag at all times, in case of emergencies. _Idiot girl,_ she mentally scolded herself.

 _Perhaps I don't have to stay with Draco. Surely he has some sort of resources, or person he could reach out to. In my owl form, I could maybe figure out how to free Moody and the rest. And I don't want anyone to know about my new ability. Yes, Draco will just hinder me._

As drowsiness set into Hermione, she leaned back to possibly take a cat nap when a thought struck her.

"Draco, did you send any protective spells out around us when we got here?" She asked hurriedly, pulling her wand out.

"Do you think i'm as thick as the people you normally associate your self with, Granger?" Draco retorted back with a snort. "Of course I cast some protective spells in the area. Now, please, leave me alone." He finished curtly.

"You're unbelievable. Those people you're calling 'thick' were protecting you, trying to make a new life for you. You're an ungrateful prat," Hermione fumed at him.

"Yes, yes, protecting my mother and I, who coincidentally happens to be laying dead somewhere in that disgusting hovel you all were living in, with no hope of me recovering the body. I feel very protected right now, Granger." He spat back, opening his grey eyes and staring her down. A pulse beat in the temple above his left eye.

"Moody was prepared to risk his own life to remove you both from the country. _This is a war Draco,_ and try as we might, we can't stop our enemies every time. Grow up! You think we haven't lost people?" Hermione rebutted, voice rising. _He hasn't changed at all._

"Oh, I know all about the people you've lost Granger. It isn't a competition. You're right, this is a war. I should have left you at that grimy place with the rest of them." Draco hissed, standing to rise. "I don't even know why I bloody grabbed you anyways!"

"Because you only care about self preservation, and you need some kind of buffering if you run into more Order Members. Sodd off Malfoy!" Hermione nearly yelled, rising to stand as well.

Draco's eyes flashed at her, and Hermione felt a small tremor of doubt echo in her body. _How stable is Draco, really?_

She watched his back as he walked about twenty feet from her, and lowered himself down to sit against another tree. _I could just transform, and fly away. He'd have no clue, the snobbish git._ But she didn't feel that was the right thing to do, for some reason. Perhaps she could glean some information from Draco, when he was ready to talk again, that could help her in any small way, gain access to Hogwarts. _But than what will I do with him? Hey, thanks for standing beside us as the Death Eaters attacked, And for aparating with me to safety, I've got to go now, see ya?_ But Hermione had a suspicion that if the rolls were switched, that's exactly what he would do to her. _So who cares if I do the same? This is a war after all, and he cares more about saving his own arse than helping us win._ But deep down, she knew she wouldn't just abandon him. She had a heart, after all, even if he didn't, and he did just lose his parents, possibly leaving him alone in the world.

Hermione allowed her shoulders to relax, and sat back against her tree. Perhaps she should rest, too. Life had no structure anymore, no security in scheduling, and she was fatigued under the weight of that. There was nothing she could do right, as she hadn't a clue where they could go, what options were open to the, what was safe, and what would be peril. Her head was still throbbing, and her eye felt swollen and puffy, where she had been punched. A little sleep might help her think, anyways.


	10. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Hermione and Draco had been asleep against their prospective trees for the better part of a few hours. Shadows had grown long around them as the sun sank low in the western sky. A blanket of hazy, late evening sunlight had turned the woods around them amber colored. Draco's subconscious was turbulent and troubled, with his parents face swimming in and out of view. He dreamed of his father's unjust death, and the guilt Draco had carried with him because of it. His father had not known that his mother was feeding information to The Order of the Phoenix, but Draco had. His mother had convinced him that they must keep it a secret until Lucious saw the true danger they were in with The Dark Lord and his reign. When Lucious would be prepared to flee with them, than She would tell him. _'He must come around to the idea on his own. We will never be able to sway him,'_ His dream mother told him again. _You fool!_ Draco wanted to scream at her ghostly figure. _We are leading our family to slaughter!_ But she couldn't hear him, she was already fading from view. The Malfoys had been slowly losing favor with Voldemort since Draco had failed in his task at killing Dumbledore, or even, perhaps, before that. Dumbledore, and Snape, and even his mother, for that matter, had believed The Dark Lord had put him up to the task, knowing he would fail. Leaving a vein open with which to strike the Malfoy family down, and strip them of everything. Draco had failed. The memory of Dumbledore, at Draco's mercy, pleading with Snape floated through Draco's subconscious, reopening old wounds of shame and guilt that had left heavy gauges in his soul.

Hermione's dream were as fitful and plagued as Draco's. She dreamed of Fred's body splayed out lifeless back at Hogwarts. She dreamed of Narcissa falling away from her back at Grimmauld Place. She dreamed of Ron pushing her forward and telling her to go, back at Herbert Beery's garden greenhouse. She dreamed of magicking her parents to forget her. She was transported back to a watery scene when she had been hunting horcruxes with Harry and Ron. She watched again as Ron left them, abandoning them when things got too tense for him to handle. These scenes were watery, and distorted, but no less painful than when she experienced them the first time.

Hermione's eyes started to open, as she started to wake up. It took her a few long seconds before she remembered where she was, her eyes seeking out Draco to make sure he hadn't left her here while she slept. He was leaned up against his tree, eye closed and breathing rhythmically. His face had a troubled expression, as if he, too, was having bad dreams. _Welcome to the club,_ Hermione thought grimly.

Hermione felt a hunger pain deep in her stomach, and her mind went to the meager breakfast she had eaten, so much earlier in the day. _We have no food prospects. I don't even have the invisibility cloak, so stealing from a muggle shop is out,_ She reflected. The thought of hunting in her owl form crossed her mind, but she nixed it just as quickly. _If Malfoy found out..._

She thought about aparating somewhere she was familiar with, to get food but nixed that idea, too. Ministry members and Death Eaters were probably swarming the country looking for her, or at least on high alert to be watchful of anything suspicious.

Hermione turned to look at Draco, whose eyes were beginning to flicker open. His breathing shallowed as he stretched his arms out. He looked at Hermione through slitted eyes, and than swept his gaze across the landscape.

"Do you stare at everyone while they're sleeping, or just me?" He asked with a raspy voice, rubbing the space between his eyes, as if he had a headache.

"Oh, sodd off," Hermione said, frowning. _He's such a git._

"Gladly, if I had somewhere to sodd-off too," He responded, dusting dirt off his legs.

"We need to figure out some thing about food. We can't function if we aren't nourished and I don't know if i'll be able to fight as keenly as I did earlier this famished. We also need to figure out somewhere else to go. I feel too out in the open here," Hermione said, ticking off on her fingers as she spoke.

"Fight keenly? Is that what you call your performance from earlier?" Draco challenged, opening his eyes wide.

"I-what?" Hermione stammered.

"You were treating the Death Eaters like you were practicing at dueling. They weren't extending you the same courtesy. You need to toughen up," Draco said, the malice gone from his voice. He spoke matter-of-factly, as if coaching her instead of belittling her.

"I haven't critiqued the way you fought. I'm sorry I don't use unforgivable curses, like your lot tend to do," Hermione shot back, feeling her temper getting shorter.

"And that's why I was the last one in that house with my wits about me. _I_ didn't get stunned. _I_ didn't petrified. _I_ didn't get captured." Draco retorted, his own voice starting to rise.

"There's a few things that divide your lot from mine, and freely using unforgivable curse is one of them," Hermione countered, feeling her face redden.

" **STOP CALLING THEM MY LOT, GRANGER** ," Draco roared, causing Hermione to blanch at the sudden aggression. "My lot? My Lot? **MY BLOODY LOT?!** They killed my parents, Granger. They destroyed my ancestral home. And if given the chance, they would kill me, too you bloody swot. My lot? I have been feeding information to the Order _for months_ you idiot. Would I be doing that if those foul vermin _were my lot?"_ Draco had yelled himself hoarse, his face and neck turning a vehement shade of red in the process. His hands were clutched into fists and his hair had flown around his head as if a blown about by a strong wind.

Hermione recoiled. How could she respond to that explosion? He was right, of course, but Hermione was too head strong to apologize after the way her just unleashed on her.

"Fine, fine, they aren't your lot, _you_ still helped _that lot_ significantly in their rise to power, you petulant snob. Some of the things happening _are your fault._ You associated with _that lot_ for a long, long time, making your bed as a Death eater and laying in it. So you'll have to _excuse_ me if old habits die hard, Malfoy." Hermione spit out at him.

"You don't know shit, Granger, even if you think you do. You haven't got the whole bloody world figured out. _Brightest witch of our generation my ass!"_ Draco hissed back at her, voice completely made of venom. Hermione winced to hear that, having been fretting and insecure about that very same thing lately.

"Fuck you, Malfoy," Hermione said coldy. _What a complete waste of my energy, bickering with this idiot._

Draco said nothing in return, instead, he rose to his feet and started to walk in the opposite direction of Hermione.

 _Fine! Leave! I couldn't be arsed either way,_ Hermione thought furiously, looking at Draco's retreating figure. _As soon as he's out of sight, I'll transform and fly away._

Hermione sat back and took a few calming breaths, trying to steady her shaking hands. When she opened her eyes again, Malfoy was walking back in her direction, carrying a small sack in his hands. He stopped about 5 feet away from the sack, and opened it, not looking up to meet Hermione's gaze.

"Here," He said, tossing something towards Hermione. She caught it reflexively, and was surprised to see a homemade muffin in her hands.

"What is this? How did you get this?" Hermione asked, eyeing the muffin suspiciously.

"Do you ever stop with the bloody questions?" Draco asked, sounding annoyed. "Eat it, or don't, I don't care." He said, as he took a seat on the ground to eat a muffin of his own.

"No," She answered honestly. "How did you get this?"

"If you must know, my...my mother and I were trying to prepare for a get away of sorts. So we have a few care packages hidden around England. This place was of them. It's just a few stale muffins my mother made, and some jewelry to sell for money if we got desperate. This was the first place I thought of when I needed somewhere to aparate. It's pretty off the radar, as far as the Ministry and The Death Eaters are concerned. No wizards or witches live even remotely close to this area, so there wouldn't be any reason to be looked for here." Draco said, voice rising a couple a pitches. He took a few bites of the muffin and closed his eyes thoughtfully as he chewed.

 _How odd that Narcissa is gone, and Draco is eating something she cooked before her death. I wonder how that's making him feel._ Hermione thought, taking a bite of the muffin in her hand. It was stale, and it was mealy, too. _The late Narcissa must not have been such a baker._ She couldn't help but think, than immediately felt guilty for having had the thought. _Wait a minute, why did Narcissa bake these? Don't the Malfoys have house elf's?_

"So..." Hermione asked, after a couple of minutes of them eating in silence. "What do you suggest we do about finding somewhere to sleep tonight?"

Draco looked up at her thoughtfully. "Dunno," He answered, shrugging. "Don't suppose you know of any Order members willing to take in a disgraced Death Eater?" The corners of Malfoy's mouth twitched up as he asked.

 _Was that a joke? Did Malfoy just crack a joke at me?_ Hermione nearly choked on the bite of muffin in her mouth. _Maybe he's not as big of a git as he was at Hogwarts...maybe._


	11. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Hours after Draco and Hermione had eaten the stale, mealy muffins, Hermione had managed to make a small camp fire. The sun had set on them, leaving them engulfed in a dark and lonely blackness, as heavy as a woolen blanket during the heat of summer. They hadn't said much to each other after their altercation, which suited Hermione just fine. She had no clue what to make of him anymore, and felt as though she were somehow betraying Ron and Harry by extending any kindness and consideration to the youngest Malfoy. She knew that was ridiculous, of course, but the feeling was there just the same. She mentally juxtaposed this new Malfoy with the many variations of him she had the great displeasure of dealing with in her Hogwarts days. _He actually pushed Luna out of the way of a curse. That's something. He was fighting along side us, against the Death Eaters, that's something too._ Hermione had always pictured Draco as a bit of a coward, always hiding behind, or riding on, the coat-tails of better witches and wizards. _The disalusioned prat waltzed around Hogwarts wearing his fathers name like a sheriff's badge,_ She had thought with , the days of Hermione having to hear "Wait till my father hears about this!" were long gone, just as dead and rotted as her dreams of running a charity organization directed towards house-elves.

"I think we should avoid aparating for a little while," Draco said, pulling Hermione out of her thoughts. "I vaguely remember someone mentioning to me that they were working on a way to track aparition, much like they began tracking the floo network. I didn't factor that in when I aparated us here."

Hermione shuddered to think of all the times she had apareted all over England lately. She hadn't known they were working on that, but she should be smart enough to factor in the possibility of anything. _Idiot girl,_ Hermione mentally chided herself.

"Than I agree," She answered slowly, staring into the fire. It was very warm in England for late April, and she felt her self sweating. But she didn't want to move a way from the fire, having no desire to be hidden from view in the unrelenting darkness. "How many Death Eaters are there now? I would imagine you have a lot of people joining out of fear..."

Draco seemed to mull the question over very carefully before answering.

"I can't be sure. I was not permitted to leave the Manor much over the past year, and I wasn't important enough to be kept in the know on The Dark Lord's business. About half a year ago they stopped including my father and I in meetings. Meetings they were having in my own fucking home," Draco said bitterly. "I did see a few new faces around the Manor, Tiberius McLaggen being one of them."

"Cormac McLaggen's uncle?" Hermione asked, wincing to hear the name.

"Yes and I can assure you's he's just as big of a prat as his sod of a nephew," Draco answered in a serious tone, causing Hermione to snort with laughter, the sound of which made Draco's mouth twitch into a small smile.

"Who was the grey-haired Death Eater back at Grimmauld Place? I recognized Dolohov, Lestrange, and Goyle." Hermione asked, cheeks red from laughing.

"That was Waldorf Greengrass, Daphne and Astoria Greengrass' father," Draco answered with a sigh, looking away wistfully. "The other one was Cassius Parkinson, Pansy Parkinson's father."

"I can see where Pansy acquired her grace and intelligence from," Hermione said, now her turn to make Draco laugh. _Someone who didn't know us would think we were just two friends, on a camping trip together._ The thought made her cringe inwardly. That same feeling of guilt surfaced, drawing Harry and Ron's faces into view. _'Mione whatcha doing cozying up to this worthless git?_ She could almost hear Ron asking indignantly. She wouldn't know how to answer him.

"Is Pansy a Death Eater, too?" Hermione asked, fearing she already knew the answer.

"Yes, and ever since my aunt Bella passed, Pansy sees it as her job to fill that void. She's just as creepy and deranged as Bella used to be," Draco responded, looking uncomfortable.

Some how, Hermione was not surprised. She remembered Pansy as a petulant, and needlessly cruel girl, who would attach her self to any one she viewed as powerful.

"What about Daphne and Astoria?' Hermione asked.

"No," Draco shook his head.

"Well if Pansy is one i'm sure they'll be next," Hermione mused out loud.

"You don't know anything about them, Granger," Draco retorted acidly, and his abrupt change in tone startled Hermoine. "I said no, that's a solid no, they aren't Death Eaters and they aren't going to be Death Eaters you absolute git." Draco continued, voice rising a few octaves.

"You're so fucking moody Malfoy and I can't keep up," Hermione retorted, feeling her patience wear thing. _One minute he's cracking jokes the next he's calling me names. What an arse!_

"You're _such_ a know-it-all! You think you have _everyone_ and _everything_ figured out. I think _I_ would know Daphne and Astoria a tad bit better than _you_ , so I would fucking know it if they were _going_ to become Death Eaters or not, and you _wouldn't_! But you just _**have**_ to go interjecting like you are so fucking sure of everything you say! But you don't know _shit_ , Granger!" Draco shouted at her, balling up his fist, his facial features looking cruel and sharp in the flickering fire light.

"If it looks like a duck, and it walks like a duck, chances are it's a duck," Hermione replied coldly, the old muggle idiom coming to mind easily.

Draco smirked at her. "You look like a know-it-all, you walk like a know-it-all, so you must be a know-it-all," he said condescendingly, smiling smugly at her.

"Very mature Malfoy," She shot, back rolling her eyes. "You're just impressing me so much by how different you are from the lot you don't want to be associated with."

"Oh grow up the fuck Hermione. How can you be so dense after I rescued you from a Death eater attack? I should have left your ungrateful arse at that disgusting shanty!" Draco yelled, smug smile dropping off his face like a an under cooked souffle drops when it's pulled out of the oven too soon.

"I wish you would have, you fucking coward. I wouldn't have abandoned my friends to be captured, and/or killed like you chose to," The words flew out of her mouth before she had a chance to filter them, and as they reached Draco's ears she realized she had gone too far.

" _ **Coward? Coward?"**_ He roared at her, jumping to his feet. He was in front of Hermione in an instant, reaching for her wrists. He yanked her into a standing position, causing Hermione to cry out in pain and shock. " _ **SHOW ME WHERE I'm A FUCKING COWARD YOU IGNORANT BITCH!"**_ He screamed in her face, spit flying onto her face in his rage. " _ **Was I A COWARD WHEN I RISKED MY PARENTS LIFE, AND MY OWN LIFE TO GIVE THE ORDER INFORMATION? WAS I A COWARD WHEN I KILLED MY OWN BEST FRIENDS FATHER? OR WAS I A COWARD WHEN I PROTECTED YOU AND THE REST OF THOSE BLITHERING IDIOTS AND YOU ALLOWED MY MOTHER TO DIE?!"**_ He barked in her face, dropping her wrists and pulling his fist up. Hermione flinched away from him, but his fist was already flying towards her face. Her skin prickled when his fist passed by her face, and landed with a loud "Thwack" on the tree that she had been sitting against. He pulled his fist back and stared into her eyes, breathing raggedly.

Her wand was out in an instant, and she re-climbed to her feet to face him.

"Don't you ever lay another hand on me," She spat at him, leaning in close to his face. He didn't respond back, just looked at her with grey eyes full of rage and hurt. He backed a way a few steps, and as the fire illuminated his face, she watched as a lone tear pooled in his eye and escape down his cheek.

He backed up a few more feet, than fell to his knee's with a thud, pulling his hands up to cover his eyes. Hermione stood absolutely still, breath baited, as she waited to see what he would do next. But he did nothing. He remained, unmoving, in that position for a long while, breathing gradually evening out.

Hermione did not know how to feel. She felt offended at the names he had called her, and rage at his audacity to grab her and yank her up. She felt disgust at his display of punching the tree behind her, to accomplish what? To scare her? She felt shame at the names she had called him. She felt pity, for clearly the wizard in front of her was hurting, and unsure of himself, just like she was. She also felt a new weariness surfacing in her mind. _He's violent and impulsive. That could be very dangerous for me..._


	12. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

The white noise of the fire had eventually lulled Hermione into a fitful sleep. After their fight, Draco had wandered away out of sight, but Hermione could hear him thrashing about some twenty feet away from her. She thought she might have heard him stifling some sobs, too. _Good, cry, you insufferable git._ She had thought spitefully, holding back her own gritty tears. She didn't want to waste any of her tears over Draco Malfoy. For some reason, his out-burst had made her think of a times when Harry had been under a lot of duress, and he had lashed out at her and Ron. She had sympathized, all those times, because he was her best friend, and she understood the concept of not being able to handle a surplus of stress, and not having healthy outlets. But she didn't want to sympathetic to Draco. She wanted to just be content to hate him, and not see him as anything more than a two-dimensional high-society snob. He had been immensely cruel to her during their school years, malicious to the people she loved, and had been the one to sneak Death Eaters into Hogwarts, which directly caused the deaths of so many people who didn't deserve it. _So Why do I give a fuck about his feelings now?_ She had asked herself angrily. It was forcing her to consider Draco as a tangible human, with an actual soul. And she just _didn't want to._ But it called to mind the question: was she the one being immature? Was she the one being narrow minded? The stubborn part of her wanted to tell her 'No, of course not, he's the worst of the worst, fuck 'em.' But she knew that was wrong. _He saved Luna. He saved me, too. He just lost his parents. He just lost everything he's ever known in his life. He's a product of his up-bringing._ Hermione suddenly felt a deep blossoming of shame in her chest. _I'm the insufferable git._ She reflected dolefully, letting a warm tear roll down her cheek. Her mind went to the children of high ranking Nazi officers, and she felt another pang of shame. She would never know that feeling, of having those expectations hovering over your head.

She didn't dream that night. The fire went cold and dead, allowing the darkness to swoop in on her. She couldn't even tell if her eyes were open or closed, when a hand wrapping around her mouth and clamping down tightly woke her up.

"Granger, keep quiet," Draco had whispered in her ear, his warm breath tickling her neck and sending goosebumps down her spine. "There is someone here." His voice sounded desperate and it filled Hermione with fear.

As Hermione's eyes adjusted to the darkness she could make out Draco's figure, kneeling above her. She did hear footsteps, alarmingly close. She felt herself shake a little.

A flashlight beam swept dangerously close over their heads. Even so, Hermione felt a surge of relief.

"They're using a flashlight. It's just a muggle," Hermione leaned up to whisper in Draco's ear.

"I still don't want to be seen her. We don't want to leave a trail," Draco breathed back, wrapping a hand around Hermione's wrist, and pulling her closer to him.

After a few tense moments, they listened to the footsteps getting farther and farther away. Hermione heard Draco sigh, and his hand loosened it's grip on her wrist.

"Thank you," Hermione said, lamely.

"For what?" Draco challenged. Now that the danger was over, a hard edge had seeped into his voice.

"For everything. For rescuing me away from Grimmauld Place, and for fighting with us when the Death Eaters attacked," Hermione blurted out, feeling her face get hot. Well _this is a day I never thought i'd see,_ She thought to herself.

"Granger, what do you have going on with Weasley?" Draco asked abruptly, causing Hermione to recoil.

"What?" She asked stupidly, his question catching her off guard. _I'm trying to apologize to him and he asks about Ron?_

"Just answer the bloody question." He commanded.

"We..that is to say, we're together. But he was captured by your...by the Death Eaters," Hermione answered, stopping herself before calling them 'Your Lot'.

"I had a feeling. Well, that's what I have going on with Astoria. I got so defensive of her, and that's what caused me to yell," Draco responded, taking a step back. "Although,she wasn't captured by a Death Eater, she was raised by one. Like I was. You don't know our stories, you don't know us. I was brought up in a home where you had to be this way. It's all I have ever known. My world was incredibly small, until it wasn't anymore."

Hermione was blown away. She supposed this was as close to an apology as Draco could give her, and she accepted that. His words were very heavy to hear, and Hermione was saving them to pick apart later.

"I'm sorry I called you a coward. I'm sorry I about everything I said. It's hard for me, to be this close to you. You were a certain way for so long, and, those things linger." Hermione responded, feeling awkward.

"Understandable," Draco answered, sighing deeply.

"Does..does Astoria know what's going on?" Hermione asked tentatively.

"Yes and no. We aren't all as loyal as you seem to think. Going against them isn't just 'taking a stand'. For most of us, our families are in so deep, our lives are so entrenched, to deflect is to give up everything. Astoria would lose her parents, her sister, her grand parents. regardless of how you view them, they love each other. I still love my father, despite it all. Just as my mother did. My mother loved her sister in spite of how horrible Bella was. It's complicated. Everyone around you has the same views as you. How would you feel completely going the opposite way?" Draco questioned her, his voice sounding forlorn and much older than his 17 years. Hermione didn't know how to respond. She would have never imagined herself in this predicament, could hardly wrap her head around it.

"It would be difficult," She finally answered, tasting the words as she said them. She had a different moral code than Draco did, but now was not the time to come off as condescending.

"Yes, it would be. I saw Weasely, once, by the way." Draco said, eyeing her reaction.

"You did? Where? How did he look?" Hermione's mind swirled with Images of Ron.

"He was brought through the Manor once, he wasn't...conscious. I only saw a flash of him. By that time I was not privy to any Death Eater business at all, so I have no idea if he ever left the Manor, or why he was there. Granger, he didn't look good." Draco said bluntly.

"Ahw, shit," She whispered. She new he wouldn't be treated fairly. She knew he would be beat, hurt, even tortured. It's what they had all signed up for. Still, it hurt to hear.

Draco said nothing, instead he took a seat on the ground. The air around them was lightening, and a thin pink line was spreading across the eastern sky. The sun was rising on another day, and it some how seemed out of place. Hermione no longer existed in a world where one could sit and enjoy a beautiful sunrise. She existed in a world full of fear, and pain, and loss. _And hope for change,_ A tiny voice popped up, as her eyes went to Draco.


	13. Chapter 14

**Chaper 14**

The pair had been walking east for for the better part of the day. As much as Hermione had hoped for fog, or over cast clouds, for any feeble cover they would provide, the sun shined bright and hot, rebelliously. They hadn't spoken much, Draco had retreated into a sullen mood, and Hermione had so much to consider that she wasn't in a a talkative mood. She felt desperate for any inkling of an idea as for what to do next. They had no where to go, and they were afraid to use magic, in case they were tracked in any way. It was miserable, and Hermione's confidence in herself was slipping. Would Harry and Ron be disappointed in her lack of progress? Would McGonagall? The idea of them being disappointed in her hurt deep in her heart. The noose was back, and getting tighter.

Hermione felt a hunger pain deep in her stomach. She couldn't remember the last time she had been completely sated, could not even remember the last time she had had a complete meal. They had happened upon a small stream, where the two of them drank the dirty water until they could hear it sloshing in their bellies. That had been hours ago, however, and Hermione's throat felt parched and dry now.

"Granger," Draco said, inclining his face towards hers. "I have an idea."

"Yes?" She asked, her mind emptying of other thoughts as she gave him her full attention.

"Do you Remember Susan Bones?" He asked, swatting at a mosquito buzzing around his face.

"Yes," Hermione responded, immediately, recalling the Hufflepuff girl who had fought along side the Order at the Battle Of Hogwarts. Her entire family had been killed by Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

"She has a job at the Ministry." Draco said simply.

"How? She fought against you-know-who and the Ministry?" Hermione puzzled.

"I know, but some time after that there was a program Half bloods and blood traitors could go into, in order to get forgiveness and rejoin wizarding society. Some kind of program where they have renounce their past beliefs, and register with The Ministry, forfeit their wands to be magically restricted against certain spells, and some other stuff I can't recall. But I remember her always being under suspicion, and watched, because certain Ministry members and Death Eaters felt she would deflect again, given the chance." Draco answered thoughtfully.

Hermione chewed the over. "Do you know where she lives? Do you think she would help us?"

"I know where she lives, but i'm not sure if she would help. I can't think of anything at all. She won't believe me at all but you're Hermione Granger, and with Potter gone I couldn't think of some one more representative of The Order and their belief's. Maybe if she saw you, talked to you, she would be swayed to help us in some way." Draco said. Hermione felt her cheeks grow warm, and a sense of pride at Draco's compliment. "If they think she deserves to be watched, and believe there is a possibility she will deflect, that mean's our chances of getting through to her are pretty good."

"What department does she work in?" Hermione asked, reflecting on his points.

"I'm not completely certain, but I believe she works in Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. They don't give converts any positions connected with Magical Education, or Magical law. Anything that could be used to their advantage if they decide to deflect again, ya know?" He answered, pushing his hair out of his face.

"How would we get to there?" The thought of popping in unexpectedly to a Ministry's members house seemed daunting. "Especially if you say she is being watched?"

"We can't walk to whole way there. She lives in Greenwhich, near London. We might have to aparate, but I worry about doing that," Draco said, "And when she was being watched heavily, I was still a recognized member of the Death eaters, so about 6 months ago. Things could be settled down around her now, or if they're not, chances are more man power is being used to hunt Order Members. Now that it's been discovered that we fed your lot information, and were being harbored in one of your headquarters, the DarkLord will probably be even more rabid to get rid of you all," Draco explained, looking a little concerned by his own words.

"Maybe we shouldn't just aparate directly on her doorstep though," Hermione said, thinking of the best way not to alarm the girl. "Are there any more of these kind of converts?"

"Hmm...Hannah Abbot? I think. Ernie Macmillion, the Patil twins. Madam hooch, I believe. Roger Davies. There is a whole registry. There a lot of people in Azkaban, too, who tried to register and failed the process, or wouldn't claim loyalty to the Dark Lord and his rein." Draco answered, matter-of-factly. Hermione shuddered, thinking of how horrible cold and lonely the wizarding prison must be now that Voldemort was the Minister Of Magic.

"Sounds bloody horrible. I hate that the world has devolved into this," Hermione said, her eye's getting watery. "Draco, I'm going to do everything in my power to put everything back to right. I have to, and I have a plan forming in my mind to accomplish that... I don't expect you to stick with me, or want to help. And that's fine. I probably owe you my life right now, and that'snot something i'm going to forget. If we make it to Susan's house, and by some divine intervention she actually wants to help us, we can split ways. I'll tell everyone In the Order, or affiliated with it about what you did and how you have changed." Hermione said, with complete sincerity. It was the least she could do.

Draco didn't say anything for a long moment, his tall figure seeming to tower over Hermione as she looked up at him, waiting for a response. after a moment of his tense silence, he stopped walking and put his hand up to rub the space between his eyes, as if he had a headache.

"Do all you Griffyndors have to sound so bloody _noble_ all the time? It's so tiresome to hear all the time, I can't imagine it's _not_ tiresome to have to put that act on all the time," He finally said, on corner of his mouth twitching up, betraying his serious tone of voice. "Seeing as how i'm a disgraced Death Eater, I have no family, Astoria will never betray her family to be with me or join me, I think my plans are open for a little while. Being a prisoner at Azkaban sounds so dull, and I don't really fancy the idea of running from certain death my whole life. Besides, you probably need someone with you that is smart enough to cast an unforgivable curse, seeing as how you're too scared too," He finished, trying to stifle a laugh.

"Oh, bugger off, Malfoy," Hermione snorted, swatting at his arm. Hermione felt a warm feeling in her stomach. _It's kind of nice to sort of have a companion for this. Well, when we aren't at each others throats that is._

"We need a plan, if we're to go to her house," Malfoy said, curbing the conversation back towards the matter at hand. "The only thing I can think of is aparate there, and I hide while you explain the situation to her. It's not much, but it's all I can think of."

"And if her house is being watched?" She countered.

"We aparate back here immediately, than run as far from this place as we can. If one of us gets grabbed, the other casts to kill and we bolt." He eyed her when he said that. She felt small under his gaze. "I mean it when I say, cast to kill Granger."

"Ok, deal." She answered, after taking a few minutes to contemplate her options. She had no other ideas, no other prospects. Besides, if push came to shove, she could cast an unforgivable curse, right?


	14. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Hermione had always hated side-along aparition, and she had never been much of a fan of solo aparition, either. She never felt composed after aparating, as if her atoms themselves were shaken up and confused, vibrating so quickly that her skin felt foreign and static-y. What was worse was relying on some one else's mastery of the skill to safely be transported somewhere; She had found aparating to be so tricky to learn correctly, that any one else aparating with her made her nervous. One small mess up on their part could be disastrous- or fatal- for her. Too much was left to chance. Hermione was the kind of person who liked to be in control of her self and her situations at all times. Even something as small as side-along aparition was enough to shake that up, and send her stomach into a fretful knot.

But, because Hermione didn't know where Susan Bones home was located, and wasn't familiar with that part of London, she needed to side-along aparate with Draco, or risk aparating into the wrong yard, which would not be good at all. She had been unconscious when Draco aparated her away from Grimmauld Place, and so hadn't registered it, which was just fine with her nerves.

"Ready when you are, Granger," Draco said, pulling her out of her own mind, as he extended his arm out to her expectantly. He began tapping his foot impatiently.

Hermione gulped. She wasn't just nervous about Side-along aparition. She was feeling down-right anxious about being in London, in an area with uncertain outcomes, and surrounded by Death Eaters and Ministry Members. The pair had sat down for an hour or two, scrutinizing every inch of their simple plan, but that had done nothing to make it seem more promising. So much of it plan was built on a rocky foundation of 'Maybe's' and 'hopefully's' that Hermione just couldn't feel good about it. But, since they had quite literally run out of other options, it would have to do. _Do or die,_ Hermione had thought, wistfully.

"Ok," Hermione finally answered him, reaching out to grab Draco's arm. She barely had time to register how scratchy the material of his now-filthy Black Family robes were before a loud _crack_ echoed through the air, and they were off.

"Bloody hell," Hermione wheezed out, after they re-materialized into a fenced-in courtyard. The sun was shining bright and warm above them, in an unusually sunny day for London. The weather had been so nice lately Hermione was sure the universe was mocking her. She shook her hands out in front of her, trying to shake that vibrating feeling in he skin. The house looming over them was a two story brick structure, with flowers growing along the back wall. It looked quaint, and cozy, with a few wicker lawn chairs surrounding a glass patio table. Hermione could imagine herself drinking a cup of tea there, watching the world wake up on a nice clear morning. _In another world,perhaps,_ She thought bitterly.

"Look," Draco hissed above her, backing him self behind a shrub growing along the western fence, his face reflected her own misgivings about the scenario they were in. His face was paler than usual, and his eyes were alight with nervous energy. He gestured with his hand towards the house, Hermione noticed a small shake in his arm when he did so, and she followed his direction to a kitchen window looking out over the courtyard. Inside the window, Hermione could see movement. Nervous fear bubbled up in her stomach, as she watched the shape. She wasn't sure if she should hide too, or go and knock on the window. She would have to face this person eventually. Better to get it over with,right?

Hermione mustered every ounce of boldness she possessed and straightened her posture. When you looked confident, you began to feel confident...Or some such none-sense her mother had told her once. She took in a deep breath and walked up to the back window. She peered her face into the glass square and could make out the image of a blonde witch putting what looked to be clean dishes away. She swept from one cabinet to the next, her arm laden with cups and plates.

 _Do or die,_ Hermione thought again raising her hand to knock. After she knocked, she watched the witch react to the unexpected noise, as her head reflexively looked towards a door way just ahead of her. _No, i'm back here, look this way,_ Hermione thought, knocking again. The witch turned to look for the source of the noise, and upon seeing a face in her back window, dropped the remaining dishes in her hand. they scattered around her as she pulled out her wand defensively.

Her cheeks were bright pink, and she had shining blue eyes that were framed with wisps of honey blonde hair. She had a pleasant, heart shaped face, that was currently twisted into a look of utter bafflement.

Hermione raised both her hands above her, as if to say, _I'm not armed!_ and the witches face blanched over with dawning realization.

She bounded to her feet quickly, reaching the kitchen window with two long steps, robes billowing out behind her, reaching the window and throwing it open.

"Hermione Granger?" The witch whispered, voice a mixture of confusion and disbelief.

"Susan, it's so lovely to see you again," Hermione breathed, shoulders slumping as her posture relaxed. Susan didn't look like she wanted to hex her, and that was the best Hermione could have hoped for. Hermione could feel tears welling in her eyes, and felt foolish because of it.

"What am I doing? Please, get in the house. It's not safe! Oh, let me open the back door, hold on," Susan said, eyes dancing around the yard wildly as if Death Eaters would come pouring over the fence any second.

The back door opened quickly, as Susan reached her hand out to gesture Hermione in. _Now I have to rip the second band aid off,_ Hermione thought nervously.

"Susan, I have someone with me. I need you to trust me please," Hermione said, voice pleading. She knew how absurd this all must look to Susan.

"Is it Ron? Just get in here, the two of you, please, quickly!" Susan urged, eyes still dancing across the yard.

"No, it isn't Ron. It's...someone who has switched sides. He has already killed a Death Eater in front of me, he's safe and he's trustworthy," Hermione said back quickly, praying Susan would not turn them away when she saw Draco. She wasn't sure how she could possibly make any one trust Draco, unless they saw the changes for them self.

Susan's face went white as fear pooled in her eyes. Hermione worried she was losing her.

"Ok, but please _just get in my house or get out of my courtyard,"_ Susan finally snapped, starting to panic. " _They watch my house sometimes, I never know when, please Hermione."_

Hermione whirled around and signaled for Draco, who emerged from his hiding spot quickly, and was at her side in an instant.

Hermione turned to face Susan, but she had fainted.


	15. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

"Pull her in the house, quickly Granger!" Draco snapped, sounding panicked. His eyes were wild and his hands were shaking. And unspoken idea passed between them, that Susan may not have been here alone, and what would they do if a stranger happened upon them with an unconscious Susan? Hermione doubted very much that Draco would be welcome anywhere, unconscious witch at his feet or not.

Hermione hoisted Susan up by her shoulders and dragged her, taking care not to let Susan's butt hit the threshold. Draco Didn't help move her, but Hermione didn't blame him. It would make him look worse to any one who may be in the house, and she could imagine Susan screaming if she opened her eyes to see Draco holding her. Once inside, Draco snapped the door shut, sliding the dead bolt into place. Not that it would make much of a difference to some one possessing magic who may want entrance, but it was a bit soothing to the nerves none-the-less.

"Bloody brilliant," Draco hissed, shaking his head. He began pacing the kitchen, wringing his hands. Hermione stayed on the floor, kneeling over Susan. She was afraid to use magic to rouse her, preferring to only use magic on an emergency basis. _What a mess,_ she thought miserably, smoothing Susan's hair out of her face. Her skin felt clammy.

"What do we do?" Draco asked, closing his eyes in frustration.

"I dunno," Hermione answered. What was there to do? Aparate somewhere else? Things were looking bleak.

Susan's eyes fluttered lightly and Hermione's heart sank. _Please don't scream, please don't scream, please don't scream._ Hermione chanted internally, throat tightening. Draco stood above her, his tense energy making Hermione feel even more on edge.

Susan's eyes flew open, bolting from Hermione's face to Draco's. "I-Hermione-what!?" She stammered, grabbing Hermione's hand. "Why is he-here, in my house? Hermione?"

"Susan, i'm going to be frank with you. He fed information to the Order for months, was found out, and he's been with me for a few days. He's on the Order's side, and we need help." Hermione said quickly. There wasn't time to break it all down for her, unfortunately, and Hermione wouldn't be sure what would be safe to tell her and what wouldn't, should Susan be found out and interrogated.

" _Him?"_ Susan said in disbelief. They had fought on opposing sides, after all. It had been hard for Hermione to swallow at first, too.

Susan moved to sit up, and Draco and Hermione moved to give her space. Her eyes moved from side to side as she digested the information presented to her. Hermione was relying on the fact that she was Ravenclaw to see the sense in what she had told her.

"Full disclosure, I am being watched by Magical Law enforcement. I do not know how safe you two are here, but I will help you if I can." Susan finally said concisely, voice shaking almost imperceptibly.

"Thank you, Susan. Thank you," Hermione breathed with relief. For the first time in a few days, Hermione allowed her self to feel hope. _Maybe things will work out._

"I don't live alone. My husband will be home soon..." Susan began, eyes moving to Draco. "He won't be happy about this..." She trailed off uncertainly, nodding towards Draco.

Draco said nothing. He felt it would be better-safer- to let Hermione navigate these choppy waters.

"I can vouch for him. I'm not asking you to take us in. But we have no where. Headquarters was compromised, including our secret keeper for other head quarters locations. I don't want to go to deeply into details."

"So the Order still exists? We all thought...well we all though the worst. You're never mentioned in the news. Nothing that doesn't coincide with The Ministry's beliefs is published in the prophet. But we were hopeful. He will be so happy to see you," Susan said, smiling.

"Who?" Hermione asked.

"My husband, Seamus," Susan explained, beaming.

"Seamus Finnigan? You guys are married? Wow, congratulations!" Hermione beamed back, grabbing Susan's hand. Hermione was surprised to feel a pang of jealousy. Not at who Susan had married, but the fact that she had been able to. Hermione was beginning to doubt she would ever see Ron alive again, much less be able to marry him. _Did you want to marry him, though?_ A doubtful voice popped into her head. She shook it away quickly, now wasn't the time or the place to dissect whether or not she would commit herself to Ron for the rest of her life.

"Yes, last year. Thank you," Susan said, regaining her composure. "But...I don't know how well you being her will go over with him," Susan said, meeting Draco's gaze.

"I'll talk to him. So much has changed. I have a ton of questions about the Ministry, if you are up for it." Hermione said, already mentally going over what information she was looking for.

"I wouldn't expect anything less from Hermione Granger," Susan responded easily, smiling. "Not to offend you, but, erm, you're covered in dirt..and you smell like you've been sleeping outside? Would you like to take a shower? Or a nap? You look exhausted."

Hermione felt a burning sensation in her eyes. _Don't you dare start crying over a shower!_ She commanded herself. She hadn't taken a shower since the day before Grimmauld Place was attacked, and she had been pining for one almost as hard as she had been pining for a hot meal. "Yes, thank you. You've just made my day," Hermione laughed.

"Erm...Draco..did you want to take one, too?" Susan asked, her tone sounding tight. The words sounded awkward coming out of her mouth, and Hermione had no doubt Susan Bones have never once imagined she would be saying anything like that. _I know the feeling,_ Hermione mentally sympathized. She still found it rather odd, too, but she would be lying if she said she wasn't happy about the change.

Draco only nodded stiffly, looking at the ground. _This is the same sullen and withdrawn way he was acting when he got to Grimmauld place. Why?_ Probably because he knew how despised he was by the entire wizarding community. Death Eaters hated him. Order members loathed him. A wide number of people wouldn't care either way if he died. _I suppose I would be withdrawn, too. Having to assume every one you meet hates you. Sounds miserable.._

Susan led them up the stairs, where they passed several cheery family pictures. They all made Hermione feel pangs of jealousy, that she hated herself for. She didn't want to have that negative emotion, but she couldn't help it. Susan's home was beautiful, a breath of fresh air compared to Grimmauld Place. Her house was open, and airy, with lots of light wooden furniture and cream colored affects. Hermione didn't know if she would ever be able to own a home, or hang family pictures up. At the top of the stairs was a wedding photo, Showing a teary eyed Susan Holding Seamus's hands. They both looked good, swathed in nice clothes, teary eyed as they exchanged vows. It was a beautiful picture and Hermione's heart hurt to think she would never have the same. _Stop being jealous! Susan is helping you. It's not her fault. Be happy for you friend you miserable git!_ She berated her self. That's not the kind of person she wanted to be

Draco had walked up the stairs as close to Hermione as possible. She supposed it was because this new environment put him on edge, or he was afraid of Seamus coming home and cursing him before Susan had a chance to explain what was going on. Either way, Hermione found it some how comforting. If they were to come under attack, they would have each others back's quickly, covering each others blind spots.

"This is the guest room, and this is the guest bathroom. Towels are here and can I bring you some clothes? I can throw these in the wash for you." Susan asked Hermione, before turning to Draco, her voice becoming still again. "I don't want to offer you any of Seamus clothes without his permission.." She trailed off.

"That's ok," Draco said tonelessly, not making eye contact. Hermione wondered if Draco was used to being detested, or if it was a new hurt every time. She thought back to Neville's treatment of him when he first arrived at Grimmauld Place and cringed. _But what can you expect? You made your bed and I suppose you have to lie in it._

"You can wait in here while Hermione showers, and than you can shower," Susan said, pointing into the guest room before walking into her room, presumably to grab Hermione some fresh clothes.

Hermione walked into the guest bathroom and was over joyed to see a bathtub. _I can take a bath!_ and than quickly realized, with dismay, that taking a bath was a leisure that they didn't have time for. Draco would want to shower, too, and Seamus would be home at some point and Hermione would need to speak with him immediately. With a sign, she disrobed and stepped into the shower, turning the water as hot as possible.

The bathroom quickly filled up with steam, and the heat eased some of Hermione's tense muscles. She started shampooing her hair, shivering at how good it felt. She relaxed and allowed her mind to clear as she methodically scrubbed her skin free of all the dirt and grime that had accumulated. She flinched as she washed her face and callously pressed her hand over her black eye. She had completely forgot she had one, it was so common for her to be injured these days.

 _I hope I can convince Seamus of Draco's loyalty or we're utterly fucked._ She thought contemplatively, picturing the headstrong griffyndor she remembered from her Hogwarts days. _He loathed him even before it was discovered that he was a death eater._


	16. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Hermione stepped out of the shower and wiped the steam off of the mirror above the sink. Her stomach dropped looking at her face. The bruise over her left eye extended much further down her face, covering most of the left side of her face in an angry bruise. Her eye lid was swollen, giving her face an asymmetrical look. She felt so ugly. Not that she had ever felt like a true beauty before, with her bushy hair and buck teeth, but she hadn't ever felt this ugly before. Her cheeks were hollow and her hair was lank. She turned away from the mirror, forcing herself to stop being so vain. _Who cares what I look like. It isn't important._ her mind turned to things that were important, as she found a comb and started forcing it through the knotted mess that was her hair. She was anxious to speak with Seamus. Hopefully he would listen to her before reacting rashly to Draco's presence. She felt a level of confidence that Seamus would be accepting of her, which was soothing, but Draco was an uncertainty. She tried to put her self in Susan and Seamus shoe's. All of Susan's family were killed by Death Eaters, or Voldemort himself. Seamus had been there, fighting along side them at Hogwarts against Death Eaters. And now here she was, bringing a Death Eater into their home. She had no idea what either of them had been through after she had last seen them. She felt woefully cut off from the world, constantly being on the run.

She found a clean pair of robes folded outside the bathroom door, so she she put those on. They were warm and smelled like clean linens. It felt so good to be in clean clothes again.

"Draco," She said, poking her head into the guest room. "You can take a shower now,"

Draco was sitting on the edge of the bed. When he turned to look at Hermione she saw that his eyes were rimmed red.

"Draco?" She asked tentatively. He stared at her for a minute, before sighing deeply and standing up. He walked passed Hermione into the bathroom, and shut the door. She heard the sounds of the shower starting.

 _What's up with him?_ She wondered placidly. She decided to find Susan, talk to her a little more.

Hermione walked down the stairs, willing her self not to look at the photo's hung on the walls. She didn't need an excuse to let negative emotions take over. As she reached the bottom of the stairs a mouth watering smell hit her nose. _Susan's cooking! Thank Merlin!_ Hermione realized, happily.

"Smells really good," Hermione said, walking into the kitchen.

"Oh! You scared me," Susan said, jumping a little. "And thank you. You look...you look really thin, and so does Draco so I figured I would whip something up. Seamus owled to tell me he was running late, but he should be home in about an hour. I contemplated owling him back to say there was company over, but thought better of it. I think I should tell you that we hang out with Ernie Macmillion and Hannah Abbott sometimes, and although we have been through the conversion program at the Ministry, we all secretly wish things were different. We might not be as brave as other Orders members, but we still have hope. We just did what was best at the time."

Hermione mulled over what the witch had said. Was Susan saying the Order had allies? Hermione sure hoped so.

"The less people that know we are here, the better. It could be extremely dangerous, being associated with us at all. They will kill Draco as soon as they see him. I don't know what they will do to you guys, if they catch you harboring us, but I do know you will probably lose everything. This beautiful house, your jobs, maybe even be separated from each other."

Susan looked away. The timer on the oven dinged, and Susan opened it, pulling a roast out. The sight of it made Hermione's stomach leap. She couldn't remember the last time she had had a roast. _A shower and a hot dinner. I'm getting spoiled,_ She mused.

"Hermione? Where is Ron?" Susan asked carefully, not meeting her eye.

"Ron was captured by Death Eaters. I have no idea what happened to him after that," Hermione answered truthfully. It hurt to say. She felt guilty, for not trying harder to get to him, and wondered where that put her on a moral scale. They had discussed, at length, the importance of resurrecting Harry. Neither of them believed Voldemort could be stopped by any one else. They had agreed to do what was necessary for the better of the world. Even if it meant letting go of the other one, for as long a was needed.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione," Susan responded, voice low. She had a sympathetic look on her face. Susan had lost everyone to them, after all. She knew how it felt. "Not to sound callous, but how do you know Draco is..is trustworthy? I trust you. But it's hard to wrap my head around..ya know?"

"I know. It's odd for me, too. But he saved my life, and Luna's too. The Order promised him protection, and I mean to keep that promise. He gave the Order a lot information, as did his mother. I was suspicious of him at first, but we were attacked by Death Eaters and he killed one of them. He fought along side us," Hermione explained, hoping Susan, and Seamus when she told him, would understand.

"Luna is alive? I hadn't been sure. Wow," Susan said, eye brows high on her face.

"She was captured. I don't know her status now," Hermione answered, feeling hollow. _Please let her be alive._

Susan didn't respond, instead choosing to busy her self working on dinner.

"Can I help at all?" Hermione asked the busy witch, feeling a little useless.

"No, thank you, but please have a seat if you'd like. I can fix some tea." Susan nodded to some kitchen stools leaning against the breakfast bar.

Hermione took a seat, and listened to see if she could here Draco moving around upstairs. She heard the shower still running, and hoped he was able to find some peace, if even just for a moment, and that he would the good sense to stay up their until after she told Seamus about him.

Susan had made some tea for Hermione, and worked at setting the table. About half an hour later, Hermione heard a door open somewhere in the house, and goose bumps broke out on her arms. _Merlin, smile on me please!_

Susan rushed out of the kitchen when she heard the door, too.

"Blimey, Suze, it's smells wonderful in here," Hermione heard Seamus say from the front room. "Whatcha cookin'?" His voice filled Hermione with a dep, deep nostalgia. How long had it been since she heard that voice? It brought her back to the griffyndor common room, to nights spent studying, and listening to the boys (and Ginny) discuss quidditch scores.

"A roast, dear. Listen, Seamus, we have company." Susan responded, and even from the kitchen Hermione could hear the nerves in her voice.

"Oh, yea? Who stopped by?" she could hear the rustle of cloth, as if he was hanging up his cloak, Seamus voice sounding completely casual.

"I'd rather just show you. In the kitchen," Susan responded, voice sounding closer. Hermione braced her self.

As Seamus walked into the kitchen, he didn't register Hermione at first. His eyes swept over her bruise before the rest of her face, and he just looked puzzled. Than the realization hit, and he bounded over to her in two steps, sweeping her into a crushing hug.

"Bloody hell, Hermione how the hell are ya? What're you doing here? How did yer face get like that?" He asked in rapid fire, not letting go of her. Hermione hugged him back, relishing the moment.

When they finally broke apart, Seamus studied her face closely. "You look like hell, Hermione, jesus."

"I know. I've been on the run for so long now. I'm ok, or as best as I can be given the circumstances. I was attacked by Death Eaters, that's how my face got like this," She answered, mentally ticking off on her fingers to make sure she answered all his questions. "Seamus, I need you to trust me. If you can't trust me, I have to leave." Hermione said to him, seriously.

"I-Of course I trust you Hermione! I may be back in society now, but I never gave up hope. Blimey," He said, concerned.

And so Hermione began telling him everything she had told Susan, careful to skate over parts she felt might be too dangerous to pass on. She told him about Draco's part in it all, too, and watched Seamus face glaze over with disgust at the mention of the youngest Malfoy's name. When she finished, Seamus was quiet for a long time.

"I want to do anythin' I can to help. When I thought the Order was finished, and any resistance was stamped out, I did what I had to do to be back in society, and so that I could be with Susan. I feel cowardly 'bout it, but what could I do? Take on a whole army by meself? But I will do anything to help," Seamus said to her resolutely. Susan was beaming at him, a look of love plastered on her heart shaped face.

"I'm glad to hear that, Because...well, because Draco is here too," Hermione said, ripping the third band aid off.

"WHAT?" Seamus nearly yelled, causing Hermione to recoil. Than he turned to Susan. "Where is he? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Shh, Shh Seamus. It's ok. Hermione showed up here with him and we felt it best he stayed out of your eye until you understood. I feared you would curse him as soon as you saw him," Susan said, stroking Seamus back as she spoke.

"Aye, I would have. Smart move, that." Seamus Told her, a little more good naturedly than Hermione expected. _But then again, he's always been good natured._

"Well bring him out, I want to talk to 'im," Seamus said, pulling Susan close to him. Hermione got up from her seat to go retrieve him.

When she reached the top of the stairs, she saw that the guest bedroom door was closed. She was about to walk in, when she stopped her self and decided to knock.

"Yes?" She heard a muffled voice say through the door.

"It's me, Hermione, can I come in?" She asked, hand already on the door nob.

"Yes," Draco answered.

When she walked in, the room was dark. Draco was laying across the bed with a pillow thrown over his had the strangest urge to collapse into the bed next to him.

"Seamus is here, I told him you were here, and that your loyalties are with us now, and he wants to talk to you," Hermione blurted out, eager to get the meeting over with.

"Joy," Draco responded, sitting up. They walked down the stairs in silence. When they reached the kitchen door way, Hermione heard Draco take a deep breath in.

Seamus and Susan looked at them when they walked in. Susan's face was tense, as if she was afraid to see Draco, but Seamus face look composed.

"Hello, Malfoy," Seamus said, crossing his hands over his chest. Draco said nothing. "Hermione told me that you pushed Luna Lovegood out of the way of the killing curse? And Rescued Hermione from a death eater attack?" Draco nodded, face betraying none of what ever emotions might be racing through his mind.

Seamus rose out of his seat quickly, surprising Hermione, who instinctively reached for her wand. But Seamus didn't do anything that merited wands being drawn. He reached his hand out to Draco, and said "Thank you, brother. Glad to see you doing better in life, man."

Draco, looking so confused, reached his hand out and shook Seamus's back, a small smile forming on his face.


	17. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Eating dinner with Susan and Seamus had felt very surreal to Hermione. Dinners at Grimmauld place had been a somber affair, with scant dishes that never seemed to fill her up. Conversations were always bleak, if there was any at all. Dinners when Hermione had been on her own had been even worse, consisting of what ever she could forage for or steal. There had been no conversation save the one in her head, and she was beginning to loathe her own company after a few days of that. But Susan had prepared a feast for them, with a glazed roast that almost made Hermione cry when she bit into it-not that that was a hard feat to do these days. They had rosemary mashed potatoes swimming with thick gravy, warm biscuits smeared with salted butter, green beans cooked with bacon fat. It had been so rich that Hermione could only eat a few small bites at time. Their conversation centered around what Susan and Seamus had gone through in the conversion program, and what they had done after they passed. Susan worked in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, and Seamus had been taken on as a Broom Makers apprentice, which he talked about with a deep sense of pride.

Draco said very little during the conversation, but he wasn't cold and withdrawn. He nodded his head as Seamus spoke, made sympathetic faces to Susan as she explained to them how she had to spent a day in Azkaban when the Department for Lawful Re-introduction into Wizarding Society (As the Conversion program was dolefully named) decided to thoroughly search her home. He even clapped Hermione amicably on the back once as she listened, aghast, to Seamus explain that Justin Finch-Fletchley had been executed after failing out of the program. All-in-all, It had been the most normal-feeling occasion Hermione had been a part of for the better part of a year, and it filled her heart in a way she couldn't quite explain.

When their plates were cleared, and the left overs were put away, Seamus brought out a bottle of fire whisky, pouring them each a glass. Hermione had eyed it wearily. Last time she had drank fire whiskey, she had been on the run with Ron. He had pilfered it, somehow, and they had drank the bottle while hiding in an abandoned tree stand, the kind used for hunting deer. Hermione had always been a light weight, and at the time she had been carrying the mandrake leaf in her mouth. She had gotten so woefully drunk that she had swallowed the mandrake leaf, and then threw it up. She winced at the memory.

"To all those lost," Seamus had said, somberly, holding his glass out for a toast. Hermione tentatively grabbed her glass and clinked it against the others. It had been so long since she had had any alcohol, that one sip of it made her head light. _Don't finish it,_ She warned herself. Should they need to act quickly, it wouldn't do for her to be impaired.

Draco had thrown his head back and downed his share in seconds, as did Seamus, and their glasses hit the table with a loud _clink_.

"I think it would be safe for ya' ta stay here, at least until tomorrow. We can give you any information ya' may be needin' about the ministry, if we're privy to it, of course, maybe find a good direction for ya' ta go in." Seamus had said, refilling his own glass. He gestured to the bottle towards Draco, who nodded and held his glass out for Seamus to fill.

"I suppose you will be needing to put a plan together. You don't have to tell us what you guys plan to do, actually I would prefer not to know, in the event something goes wrong." Susan interjected, taking a delicate sip of her own drink.

"Thank you. Thank you both so much. I do have some questions," Hermione responded, taking a swallow of her drink. _Slow down on that fire whiskey, idiot,_ her mental voice piped up.

"Perhaps we can do that in the morning, yea? It's been so long since i've had a good drink, and all i've been listening to is you talk for days, Granger, and it's getting rather tiresome," Draco said with smirk, winking at her. The environment must have done something to enliven Draco, because his good humor caught Hermione off guard. Seamus stifled a laugh, and Susan rolled her eyes good natured-ly.

She mulled it over. Time was running so thin, circumstances were so dire. They didn't have the time, they couldn't spare a moment, really, to do something so inane as _drinking socially._ But she was _so_ tried, and her mind was so burnt out. She supposed it wouldn't be the end of the world to take a night off. _It could be the end of the world, though. For me at least. Death Eaters could come swarm this place at any time. More fool, me, if I put my guard down._ She thought logically. _You are turning into Mad-eye Moody._ A smaller voiced said, causing her to sigh outwardly.

"Fine, we can discuss it in the morning, I suppose," Hermione said, half dismayed, half content.

"Then drink your drink Granger," Draco said, nodding to her still full glass. She smirked at him, but took another swallow anyways. The warm cinnamon taste slid down her throat, making her insides feel warm and her head a little hazy. It was not unpleasant, she reflected.

Hermione turned at caught Seamus and Susan exchanging a meaningful look. She shrugged it off. _Let them think what they want._

"We only have one guest bedroom, and I would offer to fix up the couch but sometimes Hannah floos over in the mornings so we can go to work together." Susan said with a small frown. "I suppose I could fix the attic up, maybe."

"We can share a room. I wouldn't want to put you out at all, " Hermione said, dismissively. _Draco can just sleep on floor._

"Don't be fooled, Granger just wants to get me alone and vulnerable," Draco said pompously, grinning at Susan. With some alcohol in his system, he seemed to be warming up.

"Oh, sodd off, Draco," Hermione responded, rolling her eyes dramatically. Her head swam a little with the whiskey, and she was surprised she didn't feel disgusted by his joke. "You're welcome to the attic than, you absolute git."

"I'm warning ya, it's got spiders," Seamus said, downing his glass casually. Susan laughed from beside him, her cheeks blushing pink from the whiskey.

"I think I'd rather have the spiders," Hermione answered, taking another swallow of her drink. She was shocked to see that she had finished it.

Seamus snorted into his hand and Susan giggled prettily.

"Didn't realize you were into that sort of thing," Draco responded, eyes shining mischievously, as he, too, laughed.

 _It feels nice to pretend to be normal._ Hermione thought giddily, holding her glass out to be refilled. Susan had moved her chair closer to Seamus and was leaning her head on his shoulder, yawning.

"I think I need to get this lil' lady up to bed before she falls asleep on the table," Seamus said lovingly, using his free hand to stroke Susan's hair. It was a cozy scene, and Hermione couldn't help but feel that green jealous monster well back up in her chest. She wanted what they had. She wanted a complete life, with love and security. No doubt like they did, which was probably what made them give up their fight and go through the conversion program. Hermione doubted very much that she would be accepted into that conversion program, and even if she was accepted, she would never go through with it.

Seamus cleared the table with his wand, and threw the now-empty bottle of fire whiskey into the sink.

"We would appreciate it if you didn't come out of the room in the morning before we give you the all clear, just in case," Susan said apologetically, stifling a yawn.

"Of course," Hermione said. _Am I slurring?_ She wondered self consciously. "Thank you again, for everything. For taking us in. and Listening," She added, feeling her cheeks grow warm.

"I'm just happy ta see ya. I feel like i'm getting another chance ta help," Seamus told her solemnly, taking one of her hands in his own. Hermione felt her heart warm at that. _We are capable._

Hermione sat back in her chair and watched Seamus and Susan disapear into their bedroom. She yawned herself, putting her hand over her mouth and closing her eyes. She felt a little dizzy and closing her eyes did nothing to calm that.

"I'm surprised you know how to loosen up, Granger," Draco said humorously, his gray eyes meeting her brown ones.

"What you don't know about me could fill a book," She answered back contemptuously, her mind going to her newly found animagus state. _Oh, how I wish I could transform._ Draco arched his eyebrow at her.

"Do tell, Granger," He said, arching an eyebrow and leaning toward her. The whiskey had clearly gotten to him, too. His eye were heavily lidded, and his face looked flushed. When he spoke there was the smallest slurr to his words, that Hermione almost didn't catch. For some reason Hermione tensed up. The moment felt too intimate- too close. Her brain felt soupy. "What could the prim and proper Hermione Granger possibly have hidden away?" He prodded, smiling slyly. He seemed to be looking through her brown eyes, right down to her soul. _His eyes are so startling,_ She realized with a start. She had never examined them this attentively before.

"Well, there is one thing i've been bottling up," Hermione said after a moment, watching Draco's face move closer to hear her low tone. "I caught Filch snogging Trelawney in the dungeons in 6th year," she waited till he was within inches of her and blurted out.

Draco fell back into his chair, grabbing his stomach and laugh so hard Hermione feared they would wake Seamus and Susan. But than she started laughing, too. The tension cleared and that weird feeling of being too close passed from Hermione.

After their laughing had died down, they both started yawning. The day had been long and tense, and even though the evening had been light and ordinary, tomorrow would be a new day that would need to be addressed with the same determination and commitment that Hermione had worn through the whole war so far.


	18. Chapter 19

**chapter 19**

Draco had absolutely refused to sleep on the floor. Hermione was too tired to argue, so she agreed to them sleeping opposite ways, with her feet near his head and vice verse.

"Bloody hell, Granger, we've been sleeping in the dirt. Have some sympathy and share the bed," Draco had growled at her, refusing to get off the bed.

"Fine," She had snapped, deciding it wouldn't kill her. Ron would have a heart attack if he ever found out, but, truly, that was the least of her worries.

After a few minutes, Hermione felt her self drifting off into sleep. As if on cue, the nightmare movie that played in her head every night started rolling. Only this time, she was in the burrow. A place that should make her feel at peace, and safe, was twisted in her dream world. It was very dark, as if no light was penetrating the windows, and Hermione felt a sense of dread. Suddenly Ron's face came in to you, flesh bruised dark and lips chapped, giving his a corpse-like look that shook Hermione to her core. A black snake was wrapped around Ron's head, slithering slowly through his dull red hair. "You're losing focus, 'Mione." He said coldly, his open mouth revealing he had no teeth, before the scene in front of her melted away.

Now she was back at Hogwarts, running so slowly through an endless labyrinth of corridors. The candles that hung from sconces on the walls went out as soon she passed them, making it seem like darkness was chasing he. She was running as if the floor was coated in molasses, but when she looked down the floor was gone and replaced with glittering shards of broken glass, shaving the skin from her feet and exposing the bone beneath.

"Granger, _wake up,"_ A voice called to her, pulling her through the bizarre and terrible dream she had been in. Her eyes flew open in a panic and she reached for her wand. "You're thrashing about like a mad woman. Quit it, it's keeping me up." Draco said, face peering down into hers.

"Oh-oh, i'm sorry, I was just..having a nightmare," Hermione explained lamely, trying to calm her heavily beating heart.

"Yea, welcome to the club," Draco responded sharply, rolling his eyes.

"you're an arse," Hermione shot back.

"I'm going to be even more of an arse if I can't sleep tonight and this is my last opportunity to sleep in a real bed Granger," Draco said back, staring her down.

"Shove off," Hermione hissed back, pulling the blanket up over her eyes. She still felt a little drunk, and wondered what time it was.

"You said Weasley's name," Draco said, as he lay back down. "I know a spell that might help ease you dreams, if they're as horrible as the sounds you're making."

"I dream about Ron a lot, just as i'm sure you dream about Astoria." Hermione said, feeling empty.

"I only dream about Astoria every once in a while, and never in a bad way," Draco chuckled from his side of the bed.

"If you know a spell to ease your dreams how come you don't use it? It looked like you were having nightmares when we were in Arundel." Hermione challenged. When Draco didn't answer, Hermione added. "Yea, some spell it must be." Meanly. She wasn't sure what compelled her to say that.

"I used to do it, to get rid of the bad dreams. But than I got afraid I would forgot what my father's face looks like, so I stopped." Draco, whispered, barely audible. "I was afraid if I let the image of his death go, I would lose the rage it gives me. That's where I get my energy to keep going. And now I get to add my mothers death to that." He said, a little more louder. Hermione felt the noose back around her heart, squeezing. She didn't know what to say to that. Could she be capable of forgetting Harry's face? Ron's? Her parents? The thought horrified her.

"I can't imagine," She said hesitantly, her mind conjuring the image of Narcissa falling away from her.

"That's life. It's unfair." Draco responded concisely. "Just like laying in bed with a witch after having a few drinks. Sounds good right? Except it isn't my bed, isn't my witch, and wasn't a drink from The Manors impeccably stocked wine cellar. Life's unfair. I want you to tell me what you have planned. I want to do my part to get the things I want. I don't want to live my life on the run."

"The less you know the better. I can't risk a word of it getting out. Even Ron didn't know exactly what I'm working on." Hermione said, the words coming out of her mouth automatically.

"Good thing i'm not Weasley." He retorted confidently. "I can't help you if you don't tell me. What're your plans? Drag me all over England while you work on some covert operation? Are you trying to use me as a body guard? I'm flattered, really I am, but body guard wasn't in my career plans."

"If I didn't even tell Ron what makes you think I would tell you?" Hermione asked, rolling her eyes.

"Weasley is fickle. Heart in the right place maybe, sometimes, but he lacks drive." Draco answered simply.

Hermione's first instinct was to argue back. _You don't know him!_ But she stopped herself. Maybe it was the whiskey, or maybe it was the lack of sleep, or maybe it was the fact that Hermione Granger was burnt out. She was alone, locked in a cage with her secrets and her plans, and she was stumped on how to continue.

 _How much can I divulge?_ Hermione sat up in the cramped bed and looked at Malfoy, scrutinizing his face. He looked at her the same.

"I want to go to the Forbidden Forest. There is something there that I need." She whispered. _Please don't let this be a mistake,_ She silently prayed. What was she doing? Telling Draco Sodding Malfoy her plans?

"Why? What is there that you need, and what do you need it for?" He questioned, curiosity filling his face.

"For this crack pot plan I'm working on. Can you help me get there, or not? If you won't go, that's fine. We'll split." She shot back, laying back down.

"I have no other options. I can wander about England, maybe, alone and eating some stale muffins hidden away, but that won't last me long. I suppose it would be better to die with a chance for vengeance, than die starving to death in some muggle's ill-kept backyard." Draco sighed, his tone even.

"Tomorrow I plan to ask Susan and Seamus what ever I can to see what my options are in getting there. I don't want any one to have any idea. There is something there, that could change the course of everything. If you-know-who were to find out, our chance at righting the world would be gone."

"And you would never see Weasley again." Draco concluded.

"What is your hang up with Ron? Why do you keep bringing him up?" Hermione hissed, sitting back up in bed.

"I don't care for Weasley, and I can't believe you ended up with him," Draco spat at her. "You were the most annoying swot in our year, with your know-it-all attitude and nosy personality, but you're still heralded as _the cleverest witch of our generation._ All the bullshit that you three got into, and all the times you saved Potter and Weasley's arses, and you end up with the biggest git i'v ever met? What a joke. How does someone like him end up with some one like you? It's disappointing, to see you settled. And now that I am where I am in life, I can't believe he wa much help with the Order, or Helping you lot hunt the horcruxes."

Hermione was blown backwards with his words. She felt her head boiling with rage.

"Fuck you, you selfish arsehole. you wanted to lecture me about thinking _I_ know everything? You are _such_ a hypocrite! Ron is brave, and he is has been a huge help to The Order! And he's kind, and self-less, traits you could probably never even fathom!"

"Granger, you asked, and I answered. You sell your self short choosing him for a mate, why not Potter? Or Krum?" Draco asked, raising on of his hands in a questioning gesture. "they at least seemed more fitting. Krum, for as much of an idiot he was, at least was good at quidditch. Potter was Potter. Yet you ended up with some one so lack luster and selfish."

"Stop meddling in my life life! It's none of your business. You want to help me get to The Forbidden Forest, great. You want to be in my personal business? You can fuck right off." She finished coldly, laying back down and turning away from him. _Every time my opinion of him starts to change he turns back into petulant fucking Draco, here to make me bloody miserable._ She didn't want to be talking about her love life. It was so unimportant to the state of affairs currently. She couldn't understand why they were even talking about it, or why Draco even had opinions on her and Ron together. What a waste of her time.

Draco said nothing else to her, and she tried to calm herself to sleep. She was hoping it was just the whiskey that made Draco so ...weird tonight, and he would drop the Ron topic from here on out. After all, she hadn't said a single thing about Astoria! But, against Hermiones consent, her mind pulled forth the image of Ron abandoning her and Harry when they were hunting for Hurcruxes. Images flashed in her head of Ron avoiding Harry in their fourth year, when Harry had his name pulled from the Goblet of Fire. She didn't want to think about these thing, and bitter tears started pulling in her eyes.

 _Tomorrow we will work on a plan to get to the Forbidden Forest, and I can stop thinking about this. I'll free Ron from the Death Eaters as soon as I can and i'll never have to see Draco Malfoy again._


	19. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Hermione had woken up long before the sun rose, but she hadn't moved at all from her position in Seamus and Susan's spare bed at all. Draco was breathing softly and evenly next to her, as serene looking as someone who wasn't living on borrowed time. Her head pounded, no doubt from the whiskey, and felt a stab of shame in her stomach for allowing herself to be so relaxed and causal last night. _I doubt very much that Luna, or Neville, or Percy are having a casual drink amoungst friends where ever they are, you selfish git._ She scolded herself, feeling guilty. Fleur's face floated into her mind and she felt even more guilty that she hadn't sought her out, to tell her of Bill's capture. Hermione took a deep breath, relaxing the wrinkles that had formed tensely in her forehead, and tried to center herself. She remembered Ron's corpse-like face that had visited her in her nightmares last night, and the wrinkles formed in her forehead again. This wouldn't do at all, she didn't have her wits about her. Draco's harsh words echoed in her head, fostering that familiar feeling of anger that Hermione always had hidden under the surface as of late.

The room started to lighten around her as the sun rose, and she heard the muffled sounds of movement in the house. Do doubt Seamus and Susan's waking up to start their day. Hermione refused to let the jealousy resurface. She wished she'd had a home and job and some sense of normality. She let it go. She was home, running from death and towards death was her home now, and she carried it with her everywhere on her back like a turtle.

Suddenly Hermione heard a pounding of footsteps running up the staircase. The door to the bedroom flung open and Susan jumped in, closing the door behind her. Her face look flushed and her hair was wild around her face.

"Hannah Abott is here, with another woman from the Ministry who regularly keeps tabs on me and checks in on me. You have to be as silent as possible, please," Susan said pleadingly. Draco had sat straight up in the cramped bed when the door had opened, and he was looking at Susan with fear in his tired eyes. She spun on her heel and disappeared through the door, closing it with a snap behind her.

Draco looked at her across the bed, and Hermione saw that he had bags under his eyes, and his eye lids were a bit red and swollen, as if he had been crying late into the night while she had been sleeping.

He inclined his head towards the window to the left of them and Hermione nodded. Should they be found out, they could escape through there. _Please don't let us be found out._ Hermione wished silently, hoping something in the universe was listening to her.

Draco lay a warm hand on Hermione's thin ankle, as they heard the sounds of footsteps climbing the stairs again. The small gesture sent a little wave of nervousness through her. _Just because we are in danger, that's all._ She assured herself. Hermione's heart thudded wildly in her chest, and Draco was squeezing her ankle so hard her foot was starting to tingle.

With a creak, the door opened. Seamus popped his head in through the door way and said, "Ay, they've all gone off to work, yea. Coast's clear an' all that," He told them with a smile. Draco released the grip he had on Hermione ankles, and she felt her shoulders relax.

"Come on down to grab some breakfast and we can get to talkin," He finished, dissapearing from the door way.

Hermione started to rise from the bed, and Draco reached for her ankle again. "Granger," He said, eyes examining her face. "Sorry about last night." _An apology from a Malfoy in regards to their behavior? I'm dreaming again,_ Hermione puzzled, her stomach stirring. "I know how hard the truth can be to hear." He finished, face completely serious.

Hermione felt her self losing her patience, again. She had a pounding head ache, her throat was parched, she was alone in the world and now some spoiled fool of a git was apologize to Hermione for her own perceived short comings in her romantic life according to him? Before she could answer, Draco had already risen from the bed and swept out of the room, the end of his robes hitting the door with a flourish.

She was to her own feet in a instant, bounding down the stairs after him. _I cannot stand that insufferable oaf!_ She screamed to her self, as she entered the kitchen angrily. Draco and Seamus were already sitting at the table, serving themselves eggs and bacon off of a platter. The smell stopped Hermione in her tracks, and her mood evened out. _It would be so rude to cause a fus in Seamus house._ She said to her self, taking her own seat.

They ate in silence for a few minutes. Hermione savored every bit, knowing this would probably be the last hot, home cooked meal they would be having for a while. The grease seemed to be helping her hangover, and her throbbing head ache started to lighten.

"Seamus, I need to know as much as I can about how to Ministry and the Death Eaters are watching people." Hermione finally said, having eaten almost everything she had put on her plate.

"Well all floo netwroks are being mointored almost constantly. There is a registration for broom flying in place, and they can only be flown in designated air space, like parks and quidditch feilds. I think they're workin' on a way to track aparating, too but I dunno if it's in affect yet." Seamus answered thoughtfully.

"Do you know anything about the security measures taken around Hogwarts?" She asked.

Seamus seemed to chew the question over before answering. "Dementors swarm the grounds. They have sentries posted around the school, too, at check points. I don't know much else than that." Seamus answered apologetically. Hermione met Draco's gaze, who had pushed his plate away and seemed to be mulling over what Seamus was saying. Hermione realized she wasn't angry at him anymore. _It will be better to just be indifferent towards him, anyways._ But she didn't feel indifferent...she felt, some how, accepting. _If the worst thing Draco Malfoy is doing to me is lecturing me about my love life, than we're ok._

"I've got to go to work soon. I don't expect either of you will be here when I get back. I just want to tell you both good luck. We routinely get looked into by the Ministry and it isn't safe for you two to stay here, and i'm sorry.." Seamus trailed off, face red from regret.

"Please, don't feel bad. Showing us as much compassion and kindness as you have was enough. Was more than I hoped for, actually, and I'm thankful.' Hermione beamed back, meaning every word.

"Yes, thank you." Draco said, extending his hand to shake Seamus's.

"Is there anything I can maybe get you before I go? To help?" He asked, holding his hands out.

Hermione shook her head. The things she needed couldn't be accessed by Seamus or his wife.

She hugged him, tightly. There was no way for her to repay his and Susan's kindness, but she would carry it with her.

After Seamus left the house, she and Draco sat down to make a plan.

"I want to go back to Grimmauld Place. What are our chances of being able to do that without being seen?" She asked him, thinking about Harry's invisibility cloak.

"Not good. I'm sure they're keeping an eye on the place, hoping more Order members will turn up their." He responded, frowning. "I would like to go back, too, though. I would like to be able to...to bury my mother..."

Hermione didn't know how to respond to that. She wanted to just sneak in, as quick as possible, to recover the cloak. Draco was talking about staging a burial, and that would be time consuming and extremely dangerous. But wouldn't she want to do the same, if she were in his shoes? Could she leave her mother to rot in some lonely place, filled with bad energy and loneliness? No, she didn't think she could.

"If we aparate over there, and there are Death Eaters, what will we do? The stakes are high." She said, shrugging her shoulders up.

"We wouldn't stay, we would just aparate to Arundel. We wouldn't have to stay long to bury her, either, I could aparate to Arundel with her and bury her some where there. She...she deserves to be buried." Draco countered.

"And what If we go there and she's gone?" Hermione asked, trying to lay every thing out.

"We get the cloak and we go. There is another area that we left a care package at, we could go there and plan our next move. Why would they take her body, though?" He asked suspiciously.

"I dunno. Some dark macig works well with certain types of death. Who could say, really." Hermione responded.

"Alright. Let's try, than. If they're are Death Eaters there, or ministry members, or any one, we go to Arundel. If not, we will go in and be as quick as possible. Before we leave, is there anything else you think would be useful we could get?" He asked, rising from his seat.

"No, not really. Nothing useful we could carry with us, anyways," Hermione sighed, getting out of her own seat. Two two of them walked through the kitchen door into the back courtyard and she locked the door magically behind her. She was little sad to go. The short stay had been so nice, so comforting.

 _Merlin, please let my streak of good luck continue,_ Hermione silently pleaded, reaching out to grab Draco's hand so they could aparate together.


	20. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

The familiar back door way of Grimmauld Place materialized in front of Hermione almost immediately, as she came to a halt on it's door step. Her skin felt static-y, and prickly, but she ignored it. Her heart was racing as she spun 180 degrees on the spot, searching for any signs of danger. She saw nothing worth note on her first glance, and Draco was opening the door quickly. He grabbed her hand and pulled her inside the dark hallway.

The floor was cracked in several places, and one of the front rooms walls was demolished, with pieces of wood and concrete littering the already dust covered floor. She had her wand raised, and so did Draco, and her eyes were darting from corner to corner, trying to see any sign or symptom of any one else in the house. She felt tense, and her wand hand was shaking lightly.

"Should we check upstairs?" Draco hissed at her, standing so close Hermione could feel every slight movement in his robes brush against her. How funny that even two or three years earlier Hermione would have been disgusted at his closeness, but now it was a comfort. A security, almost.

"Kitchen first," Hermione whispered back, already moving to jump over the crevice in the floor. He eyes instinctively went to the floor outside the front room, where Narcissa had landed. She wasn't there, but she could have fallen in the crevice, or been pulled into the front room somehow.

Draco was right behind her, making his way to the kitchen so quietly that Hermione envied his ability to move silently. He was graceful, like a cat, where as she felt every move she made was loud and uncoordinated.

The kitchen, thankfully, was empty. They walked the length of it, and Hermione looked down sadly at a pile of muggle playing cards that had been knocked off the scrubbed wood table.

They moved back into the hall way, and Draco motioned towards the front room with her wand. Draco's faced seemed to pale a little, but he nodded. She jumped the crevice, landing with a thud, as Draco landed gracefully next to her, the hint of a smirk ghosting his other wise solemn face.

Much to Hermione's dismay, Narcissa was not there among the broken furniture, and scorched places in the floor. A sadness filled Hermione at that. She had hoped for some closure for Draco, but, as he so plainly spelled out for her last night, life _wasn't_ fair, and she doubted very much that that would change any time soon.

She looked up to see Draco's reaction. He had sat back in a broken arm chair and put his head in his hands. His should moved up and down lightly, as he was trying very hard not to cry, and losing. Hermione had the strongest, and strangest, urge to hug him. Human to human, and act of comfort and comradery.

She leaned forward and put her arms around him, pressing the side of her head to the top of his, and felt two hands wrap around her wrists.

"Get off me, Granger," Draco sniffed, face bright red. "I don't need your bloody pity." He spit at her, pushing her arms away.

"I was just trying to comfort you-" She started to say, so offended, but he cut her off.

"Well, don't!" He snarled at her back, rising from the broken chair. "Lets get your bloody cloak and get the fuck out of her," He told her crossly, taking long strides towards the door. Hermione was dumbfounded. _I don't fucking get him! One day he's cracking jokes, being a social person and the next he's treating me like filth again. I'm so bloody over this,_ Hermione fumed internally as she followed Draco out the door.

She followed him up the stairs, when he stopped at the top step.

"Which room is yours?" he asked, malice gone form his voice.

Hermione pointed to the door of the room she had been using during her recent brief stay here, and Draco went in. It was dark, the curtains pulled tightly. Hermione felt tense again, and lit her wand with a soft _"Lumos,"_ and the light blooming from her wand illuminated the room. Her bag was haphazardly laying on the floor, untouched. _Thank Merlin,_ she breathed silently, snatching it off the floor. She opened it to make sure the cloak was still in there, and nodded to Draco. They made their way quickly down the stairs, and to the back door. Hermione shuddered when Draco opened the door and bright light streamed through. she had a renewed sense of determination now, and she wanted to skip their secondary location, and head straight for the Forbidden Forest. They had the cloak now, and that point alone raised Hermione's confidence, and mood, ten-fold.

She was tired of drifting through places, no closer to a solution than she was to inner peace. She had nothing to look forward to anymore. She didn't know how any one else in the Order was doing, captured or other wise, and she felt terribly useless. _Do or Die,_ she thought with gritted teeth.

Out side the door, she turned to tell Draco her new plan, when he grabbed her quickly, fear in his eyes. He started to pull her towards him when a second set of hands landed on her back and began pulling her backwards. Panic seized her heart.

Draco pulled one hand off her and reached for his wand quickly, shouting "Stupefy!" and pointing his wand behind Hermione's back. A hand snaked it self around her mouth, clamping it shut, and she was still being pulled backwards. Draco's spell must have missed.

She had her own wand in her hand, and since her mouth was clamped shut, did the next thing she could think of. She jammed it backwards, hoping to hit her assailants eye with it, and she felt the hand around her mouth loosen. Draco was even closer now, leaning a hand down to pull Hermione towards him. "Avada Kedavra!" Draco roared, his other hand pointing his wand to Hermione assailant. Once she was up on her feet, she yelled "Protego!" waving her wand in front of her an Draco, starting to pull him to the door.

The Death Eater that had attacked them fell to the floor, hit with Draco's curse. His hood fell away to rveal the white haired Death Eater that had been there the other day, the one Draco had identified as Waldorf Greengrass. Astoria's father. Hermione didn't have time to mull that over right now, though, they had to go. Draco pulled her through the door way, and they disappeared with a loud _crack._

They re-materialized in a grassy area that Hermione recognized as Arundel, where they had been two days previously. Draco was breathing raggedly next to her, still clutching her wrist in his hands, his eyes wide. Hermione pulled her arm free and worked to control her breathing. Her heart was fluttering madly in her chest, and her shoulders hurt where she had been grabbed. This was a second time that Draco had saved her, she realized complacently.

She wanted to ask him if he was ok, but thought better of it, when his words from Grimmauld Place echoed in her ears. _"I don't need your bloody pity."_

she allowed her self to sit on the ground, as she worked at calming her self, and looked over when she heard a _thud._ Draco had fainted, and hit the ground next to her.

Hermione frowned. She imagined her reaction would be quite the same if she had to kill Molly or Aurthur Weasley. Even the thought of it made Hermione recoil, and she felt deep pity for Draco, even if he didn't want it. Would Astoria forgive Draco? She didn't know, as she couldn't remember ever meeting her, and thus couldn't draw any conclusions from her character. Could she forgive Ron, if killed one of her parents under similar circumstances? _No, probably not..._ She shuddered.

She decided not to try and wake Draco. He didn't seem keen on her at all today, and she didn't feel like dealing with his attitude. _Why did you wake me up Granger? Don't touch me!_ she could imagine him saying in her head. And she just didn't have the energy for that attitude right now. So she sat her back against a tree and opened her bag to take an inventory of what she still hand. _Cloak, check. Pepper-up potion, check. Emergency chocolate, check. Spell-o-tape, check. A few rolls of parchment, and a quill, check._ At the bottom of her back was a wrinkled photograph of Harry, Hermione, and Ron, sitting in the backyard of the Burrow, waving at the camera. Ron had dirt of his face, and was waving jubilantly at the Camera. Harry was making rabbit ears behind Hermione's head, and she sat between them laughing freely. The picture made a tear well in her eye. She stuffed it back down in her bag, banishing the memory. _When the memories stop being painful, than I'll welcome them back,_ She thought bitterly, breathing deeply. She decided to urge Draco to agree to them departing for the forest today, after he wakes up. She couldn't wait anymore. There was nothing hear for them, in Arundel, or any where else really. _Do, or die._


	21. Chapter 22

**a/n...I really, really enjoyed writing this next chapter. It's quite long, sorry about that, I just didn't know where to split it and got lost writing it. There is going to be some really dark themes in this chapter, and some implications of non-con situations.**

 **Chapter 22**

"The Forest is huge, Granger, you really don't think we'll be ale to walk through the whole thing, unscathed, towards Hogwarts?" Draco asked, looking rather incredulous.

He had woken up about an hour ago, and Hermione had wasted no time in laying her idea out to him. She wanted to aparate to the North-west end of the Forbidden Forest- the closest you could aparate to Hogwarts, and hike south-east towards the castle. She had a feeling the Resurrection Stone was closer to the castle than not, but she saw no way to aparate closer.

"We have the cloak. It could hide us from most of the inhabitants of the Forest, and it's not like we can't defend our selves," She countered back. She was nervous, too, but she had to do this. Days were slipping by her, bland and unfulfilling, and hope was becoming so fickle to her that she feared an long period of inactivity would become a permanent state.

"I'm sure there is a great many things in that Forest that could smell us and hear us, even if they can't see us. What about all the poisonous plants? I don't suppose you have a host of potions in that bag that could counter all of those potential pitfalls." Draco replied, arching an eye brow. His usually cool and unaffected attitude was wavering, his mind bringing him back to a long forgotten memory of being in the Forest during first year, as a form of detention. He shuddered.

He had her there. They were woefully unprepared for this, she knew that, but what were there options? Keep aparating to different parts of England in hopes by some miracle things would work them selves out? And in the mean time, all the Order members would die in captivity. _No, thank you._ Hermione thought to her self.

"Then don't come. My offer still stand from before. I'll let Order members know where your alliances lie, now, if I come across them." She answered him seriously.

"What are we even bloody looking for? Must I just follow you around the whole time hoping you are able to find what ever it is with your own eyes?" Draco said, rolling his eyes.

Hermione saw the logic in that. She supposed there ws no point in hiding it from Draco any longer, if he was to be with her when she found it, anyways.

She gulped. "I'm looking for the...for the Resurrection Stone. I believe Harry was in possession of it, and dropped it in the Forest when You-Know-Who called for him to return to the Castle.." She trailed off. Draco was looking at her with a bemused expression.

"You mean..like...the stone from that old children's book?" He asked, grinning condescendingly at her. "Granger, that isn't real. Are you sure you don't mean the Sorcerer's stone?" He asked, pointedly.

"I said what I meant." She snapped back, feeling frustrated. She had known this was going to happen. "I have Harry's indivisibility cloak, which was being held unto by Dumbledore until Harry came to Hogwarts. It was left to him by James. His father...from like, 18 years ago. You don't think it's weird that It still works?" She asked, hoping he'd see sense.

"It's probably a family heirloom, made with powerful old magic. If you're implying it's the cloak from The Deathly Hallows, you've lost it." Draco said, good humored-ly.

"That's what i'm going to the Forest for. Take it or leave it," She said plainly. She could see Draco wasn't going to be swayed.

"You really, truly believe it's real and it's there?" He asked, leaning closer to her. There was small breeze that ruffled his hair, and brought a low smell of flowers to Hermione's nose.

"Yes. So does you-know-who. He was after all three of them, in turn, in order to 'conquer death'. Dumbledore knew that, and passed that information to Harry, Ron, and I." She explained, leaving out that he had actually left them the children's book itself to guide her.

Draco seemed to be thinking about it. _Please, just trust me!_ She yelled internally, anxious to get things started.

Draco drew in a deep breath. "Can you make a patrounous?" He finally asked.

"Yes. An otter," She answered back.

"Good, cuz the Hogwarts grounds are lousy with them, and i'm sure they go into the Forest from time to time." He answered back, resigned.

"So you're coming, you agree to help?" She asked, hopeful.

"Yes, well, what are my options? I've killed Astoria's father. My ship with her has sailed. You're going, so i'm going." He answered back sadly.

The noose around Hermione's heart got a little tighter. She truly didn't know how Draco felt, and could offer no sympathies about it. _Not that he wants them anyways._ She thought, sourly. "Shall we, then?" She asked, reaching her arm out. Better to aparate together, so there was no chance of being separated.

Sighing, Draco reached his own arm out, and they _cracked_ through the quite landscape of Arundel, two lost souls trying to find some sort of light and point in the world.

They re-materialized in some tall grass, in a noisy world. The first sound to hit Hermione's ear was an impossibly loud sqauking noise, as if from a giant bird, but no bird was visible. The second sound was a chorus of bugs, chirping and buzzing around her as if all screaming out at once for attention. She heard a faint sound of hooves galloping, and she quickly registered the possibility of Centaurs somewhere close. With Firenze gone from the pack, she didn't know how they would feel about a witch and wizard gallivanting about. _I'll deal with it when I get to it._

Draco was still holding onto her hand, Staring at the thick wall of ancient tree's in front of them. Since she couldn't aparate them directly into the Forest, she had aimed to land as close to the perimeter as possible, with Hermione identifying huge Sycamore tree's alongside stately Oaks and jagged Pine tree's, as they sat in awe of them in the tall grass. It was hard _not_ to feel intimidated. The air around her some how felt heavier, and her nose was filled with the pungent smells of the Pines looming overhead. Goosebumps spread down her arms and legs.

Draco was sitting impossibly close to Hermione, absolutely still with what must have been nerves, or fear, or the edge of panic. _The longer we sit in one place, the easier we will be found out._ She pulled the cloak out of her bag, and pulled it over them with flourish. Draco didn't relax.

"So, do we just walk in?" Draco asked cautiously, still holding tightly to her hand.

"Yes. But we stay close to each other so the cloak doesn't expose our ankles. I think it would take maybe a day and half to make it through most of the Forest," She answered, feeling a little over whelmed at the size of the Forest. Of course, her calculations didn't factor into them running into any hitches, but she saw no reason to say that out loud. The less they talked the better, seeing as many thing int he Forest had large, capable ears.

"Let's get going than, or do you plan a holiday sun bathing in this open field?" Draco snapped back, pulling her up as he stood.

Even it was mid afternoon, as soon as the pair entered the forest, the light around them seemed to dull into late evening blue tones. The forest floor was dark, and the foliage over head was dense, it seemed to become night around them. Hermione was afraid to cast _Lumos_ as she didn't want to draw attention to themselves, but she couldn't deny that the dark made her uneasy. They were walking slow, in order to keep the cloak safely over them, and it only added to her unease. Should they have to run, one of them, or both, would become visible. She didn't like that idea at all.

To their left, they heard a pronounced _slithering_ sound that stopped them both in their tracks. Draco's chest was so close to Hermione's back that she could feel how his wild heart beat matched her own. She swallowed, afraid to breath, afraid to make any sound that would give them away. Suddenly, in front of them, a long, thin red snake appeared, and slithered up a sparse Sycamore tree. Hermione blanched. It hadn't reacted to their presence at all, thankfully.

The two began to walk again, very slowly. There was no path way around them, so they were trying to pick through the tree trunks and exposed roots that littered the Forest floor haphazardly, no small feat with how dark it was growing around them. Draco's breath was warm on the back of her neck, and she struggled not to tell him to breath away from her. She supposed she had no choice, he was so much taller than her that if he were to back up, the bottom part of his legs would be exposed to the Forest.

Two bugs, glowing faintly white, flew uncomfortable close to Hermione's face, causing her to stop short, and Draco's full weight plowed into her, causing her to fall forward, out of the cloak, and splay across some hard exposed roots in front of her. Panic seized her, but just as quickly Draco was pulling her up and recovering her with the cloak.

" _Watch it, Granger,"_ He growled, low in her ear, but he didn't sound cruel, just concerned.

Her heart was beating madly in her chest, and she could feel blood dripping down her shin, where the skin had been scraped deeply by the tree root. She didn't have time to fus with it.

The heat of being under the cloak, and so close to each other, was causing them to sweat. Hermione felt so uncomfortable in her own skin.

Still, they continued to pick there way through the Forest, which had become wretchedly dark around them, with only a few sparse rays of golden sunlight making it through the thick tree top above them. Shrieking could be heard in the distant, and the hairs on the back of Hermione's neck stood up.

Her eyes seemed to pick up on some light source in front of them, and she registered a faint blue light glowing from behind a dark Beech tree some twenty feet ahead of them. As they got closer, she realized it wasn't coming from behind the tree, but _from the actual tree._ There seemed to be some kind of algae growing on the bark, and some faintly glowing spores seemed to be floating in the air around it. Hermione didn't like the look of it, and was craning her neck to see if there was a way they could get around it. But, she realized disconcertingly, the tree line behind the Beech all seemed to be glowing faintly with the same algae on it, and the air itself was swirling with the floating motes of spores. They vaguely reminded her of fairy lights, but smaller, and more present.

She saw no option but to walk through them. Draco seemed to tense even more behind her. He saw it, too.

They climbed around the Beech tree cautiously, Hermione noting that with the glowing algae-like substance, at least they had more light to see by.

The air over here seemed much more charged, and Hermione scalp started to prickle sup. Suddenly, she felt Draco lean his mouth close to her ear and hiss _"Filthy Mudblood!"_ causing her to stop walking. This time Draco didn't crash into her.

"What the fuck, Draco?" She asked,not caring if she was being loud. She hadn't heard Draco call her that in years and the words filled her with rage. _I've been helping this prat!_

"What, Granger?" He spit back at her, eyes searching her face.

"Why the fuck did you just call me that?" She spat back, feeling her blood boil.

"I didn't call you anything?" He said back, puzzled.

"You just called me a..a filthy mudblood! What gives?" She spat back at him, her voice starting to raise.

"No, I didn't! You're losing it Granger," He replied, incredulously. He actually looked a little stung by her acusation. _Maybe you did imagine it,_ She thought strangely. She doubted it, somehow.

"Fine," She snapped back, turning around to continue their trek forward. That fight would be pointless, anyways.

They started to maneuver between two huge oaks, when Draco snapped his head towards her.

"And what the fuck is that supposed to mean, Granger?" He yelled in her face, causing her to slump back against one of the giant oaks.

"What's what supposed to mean?" She asked back, confused.

"Don't talk about my bloody parents like that. Just don't talk about them at all," He snapped at her.

"I didn't say anything at all!" She snapped back. Why would she? Her mind was on other things.

Draco turned away from her, shaking his head, and they began climbing between the tree's again.

Hermione's throat was getting tight, and her skin was beginning to itch. _I hope it isn't this weird algae-stuff._ She thought grimly.

 _"Ron is dead, and I've known to whole time,"_ Draco whispered in her ear, and she whipped around toward him, her hands reaching out and grabbing him by his robes.

" _What the fuck is wrong with you?"_ She seethed in his face, feeling her hands shake with anger. Tears were fighting her eyes but she blinked them back, not wanting to cry. _"Why would you keep this from me? After everything the Order has done for you?"_ Somewhere, deep in Hermione's psyche, she felt that something was off about the situation. It didn't make sense that Draco would be saying this stuff to her, or accusing her of saying things to him. But a bigger part of her psyche seemed to be shadowed over with doubt, and a desire to fight and be confrontational. That part of her psyche was open to believing her ears.

" _Keep what from you, Granger?"_ Draco spit back, anger welling up in his voice.

"Ron dying, you absolute arsehole!" She yelled back, the tears finally falling down her face.

"I don't know anything about that bloody gits where abouts of life/death status you physco, let go of my robes!" Draco shouted back at her, trying to back away.

His head snapped up, his eyes flashing dangerously at her. "You take that back right now Granger!" he roared, grabbing her arms and ripping them away from her robes.

" _The Death Eaters raped Luna, and I would have, too, if I had been there!"_ Draco seemed to yelled in her head, but his mouth hadn't moved. He must be using Legilimency on her, Hermione realized, her whole body seizing with revulsion. Fear over took her. They were all alone out here, had that been his plan?

That same small part of her pschye that had been trying to get her to see the trap they were in, was gone now, completely drowned out by the dark shadow that had filled Hermione's mind.

Her blood running cold in her viens, she grabbed for the cloak, and took off running away from Draco, desperate to get away from him and the awful things he was saying to her.


	22. Chapter 23

**A/n..this is a very short chapter. And criticisms/ reviews welcome! And thank you to everyone who had already left a review :)**

 **Chapter 23**

Hermione hugged the cloak tightly as she stumbled over tree roots and branches that littered the Forest floor. Her head was filled with the words Draco had said to her. _Luna! Please don't let it be true, Merlin!_ She thought wildly, hysterically. She couldn't settle her mind at all, waves of insecurity and mistrustful-ness crashed in her mind. _You should have killed him,_ The thought popped into her mind maliciously. _What? what's wrong with me? I'm not going to kill someone._ She was so shocked at the thought, her head was reeling. Her foot got caught on a branch as tried to walk around a fallen oak tree, and she fell backwards onto her butt dully.

 _"When I find you, Granger, I'm going to kill you,"_ Draco whispered directly into her ear. His breath was so warm it tickled her neck. She thrashed her head around madly, to see where his voice was coming from, but there appeared to be nobody around her. The glowing algae-like substance from the tree's was all over her exposed legs now, glowing faintly.

She felt her self start to panic, and couldn't bring her self to get up off the ground. She threw the cloak over her self, trying to remain calm, and failing at it.

 _"It's only been a few months and yer already running around with some Death Eater,"_ A voice whispered in her other ear, causing her skin to break out into goose bumps again. It sounded like...Ron? But how could that be? _Did he some how escape and track me here?_

"Ron?" She called out, the sound of her own voice scaring her. She sounded hoarse and her voice was shaky. "Ron?"

 _"Like he would reveal him self to some swot who's shagging a Death Eater,"_ A feminine voice spoke from behind her, startling her again. The voice was full of disdain and it made Hermione's skin crawl.

"Ginny?" She called out, so frightened and confused she felt she might throw up.

 _"Granger, where are you? Don't you want to see what i've got planned for you?"_ Draco's voice said, so cold and clear next to her head.

"Draco, stop!" She sobbed, no longer able to hold the crying back. The sobs racked her body, and she fell forward grabbing her knees.

 _"How pathetic. How did you even get accepted into The Order?"_ The voice of Molly Weasley asked.

 _"When we find you, Granger, you will regret coming to Hogwarts,"_ a new voice said, from above her. She couldn't quite place it...Was that Lupin?

 _"You should have died. Not me,"_ The voice of Harry Potter said, but how was that possible? Hermione didn't understand.

"Harry no, Harry!" She cried, reaching a hand out towards the voice. "I don't understand!" She cried again.

The voices swirled around above her, and Hermione was covered in them.

 _"You should kill yourself,"_ The voice of Ron Weasley hissed at her.

 _"How does this mudblood survive, but I must lose one of my sons? It should have been her,"_ The voice of Molly Wesaley lamented.

 _"If i were you, i'd kill myself before Draco has a chance to get to you,"_ The voice of Luna Lovegood said.

Hermione curled into a ball on the ground, sobbing in earnest now, her wand in her hand. But how did it get there? She hadn't remembered drawing it. The Forest, as dense as it already was, seemed to be closing in on her.

 _"Get it over with, mudblood, kill yourself before we do it for you,"_ The voice of McGonagall said coldly.

Hermione's hand was moving of her own accord, pointing the tip her wand against her heart.

 _"Granger!"_ The voice of Draco Malfoy shouted, and a hand closed on her ankle. She was being pulled forward.

Hermione thrashed about wildly, trying to get free of the grip on her ankle. She had her wand drawn, trying to aim while being pulled across the ground.

 _"Granger put your wand down, i'm trying to save you,"_ Draco hissed at her, still pulling her backwards. Her head landed hard on a stone embedded in the ground. The world went dark around her, and Draco continued to pull her through the Forest.


	23. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

Shadowy shapes swam in and out of view in Hermione's subconscious, their faces never fulling forming. She wanted to reach out to one of them, but her arms wouldn't move. She was completely paralyzed, save her mouth, but when she opened it to scream, no sounds came out. _Filthy mudblood_ echoed in her head and she wanted to run away from the sound, run anywhere. The other foul words that had been spoken to here rose up, a wretched chorus in her mind. H _ow does this mudblood survive, but I must lose one of my sons? It should have been her! If i were you, i'd kill myself before Draco has a chance to get to you!_ The voice rose and fell at the same time, a hideous kaleidoscope of the malicious words that had driven her to horrible, body racking sobs on the Forest floor.

Her eyes snapped open as a pair of hands shook her roughly. Above her was Draco, his face so close to hers she could feel his breath on her skin. Fear seized her, and she moved to get away from him.

"Bloody stop, Granger," He said sternly, putting a hand on her shoulder to steady her.

"Get away from me!" Hermione yelled, trying to roll away from his grasp.

"Can you give me one bloody minute to explain before you go charging off into this sodding Forest again and risk both our lives," He hissed at her, refusing to let go of her shoulders. "The fungus that was glowing every where, I didn't think any thing of it when we first saw it, but I recognize it now as _Impius Cogitationes_. It's an old form of magic, used to fill some one's head with madness and drive them insane. I think it was making me hear your voice and you hear mine. I've dealt with it before, at the Parkinson Estate. Some of their cellar dungeons are coated in it, and I've gotten some on me before."

"How did you snap out of it?" She asked, suspiciously.

"I got some on me before, like I mentioned, at the Parkinson Estate. Pansy knew the counter-curse, but she messed with me a bit and let me suffer. I heard..I heard my mother's voice this time, but it was the exact same things she was saying last time, and I remembered her saying it at The Parkinson Estate so I kinda..I dunno, snapped out of it. I heard you screaming to high hell, so I found you. I pulled you away from the trees, you hit your head, got knocked out, and now where here." He finished, throwing his hands up.

Hermione took a few steadying breaths, and digested what Draco was telling her. She could still hear him threatening to kill her, but she was listening to it now through a more logical, and calm, set of ears. The voice in her head sounded manufactured some how, and she could definitely tell the difference between the organic voice in front of her, and the removed one in her head. She felt so stupid, now, the pieces coming together of how she had been tricked. _Get your head in the game idiot girl!_ She shouted at her self internally.

"What did you hear me telling you?" She finally asked, after a few minutes of self reflection.

"I heard you say...that my parents deserved what they got, for being snakes. I heard you say that I was a coward, and didn't deserve to live." He answered hesitantly, not meeting her eyes. "You?"

"I heard you say that-that Ron was dead, and that-that..." She struggled to form the words to tell him about Luna.

"That what Granger?" He prompted curiously.

"That the Death Eaters r-raped Luna, and you would have, too, if you were there..." Hermione felt a tear roll down her cheek.

"To be frank, it does happen sometimes..." Draco answered, his voice colored with shame. "Not from me!" he quickly added, eyeing Hermione's sharp expression. "And it isn't like...out in the open. It's not celebrated. Some of the older Death Eaters see it as their right or something...And some of them see it as horrible, and condemn it. " He looked down again. Hermione wondered if his father had ever been apart of it and shuddered.

"That's vile," She grimaced, thinking of all the Order members in captivity.

"I know. But right now we need to figure out how to get around those trees. And I don't want to stay in one spot around here and your incessant screaming probably alerted everything in the Forest to our presence," He said, starting to stand, and reaching his hand out to pull her up.

"Thank you for pulling me out of there," Hermione said quietly, cheeks burning red. She hated to be the damsel in distress, but it was some how becoming very frequent as of late. _I need to be better. I will be better._ She mentally promised herself.

"Thank you for not casting me out," He answered back simply. He threw the cloak back over them, and they started to trek more west now, to see if they could avoid the part of the Forest covered in _Impius Cogitationes._ Hermione hoped to never come across it again.

"Did Pansy ever teach you the counter-curse?" Hermione whispered under the cloak, as the started to move their way between two large Sycamore trees.

"No," Draco answered wistfully. "She's always been an egotistical git, who strived to be better than me. She would never willingly teach me something she knows."

Hermione said nothing, just busied her self stepping across some fallen branches. After a few minutes, she could hear the sounds of faint galloping again, accompanied by a muted _neigh_ sound. She really hoped that they would not come across any centaurs while in the Forest, as she couldn't be sure how they would feel about them being here, possibly drawing the attention of Death Eaters or Dementors.

She hadn't seen Firenze since the battle, and didn't know what his fate had been, but she recalled his heard banishing him. She shuddered.

She was so distracte dby her own thoughts that she failed to notice a shining spider web in their path, and walked right into. She raisedher arms to try to pull some of the web off the cloak, and Draco pulled close to her, shuddering.

"I bloody hate spiders," He hissed, pulling some lose web off his side of the cloak.

"Me, too." She whispered back, scared to come across any of the Acromantula she knew had a colony somewhere deep in the Forest.

The environment around them was gloomy, with deeper hues of blue penetrating the spaces around them, as the day grew later and later. Strange sounds pierced through the solidarity in the Forest, owls hooting, bugs chirping. Hermione could faintly hear the same sqauking sound she had heard earlier in the day, and was relieved to hear that it sounded much further away. She thought she could hear a muted clicking sound, like sharp nails clicking across wood, but she couldn't be sure. They passed more shining spider webs, but were careful to avoid stepping in them.

They hiked along the rough terrain in silence for the next few hours, trying to give the part of the Forest with _Impius Cogitationes_ a wide, cautious arc. It was getting much harder now, as the blackness of night settled around them, and they moved much slower. Hermione knew there were werewolves rumored to be living in the Forest, and felt very grateful they had come here when the moon was waxing. She hadn't even thought to chart the moon before hand, so some luck there was with them at least.

The clicking sound Hermione heard earlier had resurfaced, louder now, and seeming to come from both sides of them. She tried not to let it worry her. They were under the cloak, after all, and working to be as quiet as possible.

"Do you hear that clicking noise?" Draco whispered into her ear after some moments. She did hear it,and it was getting louder around them.

Before she could answer, a low, grating voice spoke from a branch above them.

"Kadmiel, I can smell them and hear them but I am unable to see them," the voice from above them said, causing them both to freeze in their tracks.

"Urijah, I believe them to have some sort of ability to hide their appearance," A new, even lower voice spoke. Draco had drawn his wand silently behind Hermione, and she followed suit. "It is not matter. I can hear their every move."

A spider scurried down an Oak that was two the pairs left, as big as a car, eight eyes flashing as a stray beam of moonlight illuminated it's hideous face. The skin on Hermione's neck prickled and her breathing grew ragged. Draco stood tense and ramrod straight next to her, trying not to breath or make any movement at all.


	24. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

The air around them was charged, and Hermione could feel her skin vibrating with nervous energy. She could smell an acrid, rotting smell permeating the air, and it turned her empty stomach.

The Acromantula in front of them moved slowly down the tree it was on, carefully checking the space in front of him for movement. It was covered in thick, black hair, like a dog who lived on the streets.

A second Acromantula slowly dropped down to their right, on a shining string of web. The spider swung languidly from side to side, it's eyes flashing dangerously.

"I smell blood, directly below." The spider said, dropping down lower. Hermione remembered her scraped shin from earlier, and mentally cursed herself for not tending to it when it happened.

Hermione felt Draco snake his hand around hers and lean in close. For some reason, the warmth of his skin on hers made her rate accelerate.

"We need to move," He breathed almost silently in her ear. "Now," He hissed again.

She squeezed his hand and they took off running, careful to keep the cloak around them. Draco didn't let go of her hand as they tried to make their way over choppy landscape.

"Kadmiel, I hear them moving!" One of the spiders boomed from behind, and Hermione's heart sank. It was impossible to move fast around all the jagged foliage that blanketed the forest. She could hear that familiar clicking sound, and abruptly one of the spiders slid down a web in front of her. Draco wrapped an arm around Hermione's shoulders, pulling her close.

"Urijah, Here!" It called, extending two of its sharp, long legs, into the air in front of Hermione's face.

Eyes started forming in the branches around them, as more of them appeared.

"There," She heard one of them call, as her and Draco worked to get over a fallen Pine tree.

All at once, a pair of thin, hairy, steel-like arms closed around her waist, pulling her back wards away from Draco. The cloak fell away from her, and by default exposed Draco as well. Hermione barely had time to register a pair of arms grabbing for him, too, when she was hoisted into the air away from him.

"Granger!" Draco yelled, trying to extend a hand towards her, face a mask of panic and dread. Than he was gone, as Hermione was pulled too high up to see him. She estimated she was about 30 feet off the floor, hanging against a massive, ancient Pine tree.

"It is a girl, a witch, from the castle," A voice hissed from behind, sounding more feminine than the first two spiders they had heard.

"Show her to me, Agripa," A loud, coarse voice commanded from above them. Hermione could see the Forest Floor below her. Her eyes darted madly, searching for Draco. There were hundreds of Acromantula around them, filling every branch, scurrying across the exposed roots and fallen branches.

She felt her self being pulled upward still. The world was lightening around her, and the tree's grew sparse the higher up off the ground she was. She was able to make out more Acromantula around her, infesting the tree's. Some where a small as cats, and other's as large at Thestrals, bending the supple Pine trees under their weight.

"She smells so good," Of of the them hissed, extending an arm and catching a tuft of Hermione's hair, pulling it lose from her scalp. She struggled not to show any reaction to the pain.

When they came to a stop, a huge Acromantula grabbed her into his arms from the one that had carried her up. He was the biggest one she had scene so far, and three of his 8 eyes were glazed over white. A giant, jagged scar cut through them and went down the rest of his shaggy head, the scar pulling up in angry red ridges.

"We will take her Mosag, and the wizard too. Get their wands," He said in a bass toned voice, so deep it shook in Hermione's chest. She couldn't move her arms to defend her self, his grip was so tight around her.

She felt a small, cat sized Acromantula crawl up her legs and trifle through her robes, pulling away from her with her wand in it's grasp. She kicked at it, but missed. The one that was gripping her tightened it's hold.

An Acromantula appeared at the top of the pine tree next to the one she was on, holding Draco in it's grasp. He was thrashing about madly, trying to wriggle free. It was in vain.

"Stop moving or we will make you stop," The Acromantula commanded, and when Draco didn't stop, the spider bashed his head upon a sturdy tree branch. Draco's face grew slack, and his body stilled. Hermione was feeling stabs of panic and horror rising in her chest. _Please don't let him be dead!_ She thought to herself gravely.

"Come, to Mosag," The one holding her commanded, as he tensed up and jumped from the tree they were on the a neighboring pine. As they landed, the tree swayed under their weight. She listened to the sound of a thousand Acromantula moving at once, and it filled her ears deafeningly. Hermione was very, very afraid. At least during the Death Eater attack back at Grimmauld place she had had her wand, and was able to defend herself. Now, she had nothing. She vaguely noted that she heard galloping again, but didn't have time to worry about that now.

The Acromantula holding her started to descend an Oak he had just jumped to, and Hermione saw that there were spiderwebs every where. She assumed they were getting close to their den, and her stomach turned even more, causing a bile to rise in her throat. If her stomach hadn't been so empty, Hermione would have vomited.

To her left she noticed a shock of blonde hair descending with them. At least Draco was close.

They were about ten feet off the ground when A voice called out that stopped all the Acromantulas from moving,and the one holding Hermione squeezed her even tighter.

"Eraz release that witch," A strong, yet melodic voice called. Hermione could hear what sounded like bow's being pulled back.

"This doesn't concern you _horses,"_ The Acromantula holding her, aparently name Eraz, said. Hermione tried to spin around to see who was calling to them from the ground, but the one holding her wouldn't give her any leeway.

"Release the wizard and witch, and you may not be harmed." A different voice called, this one more sharp than the first. Hermione could hear the clicking sounds erupt around her as the Acromantulas swarmed the ones holding her and Draco.

"We do not wish to war with you. Leave us," A different Acromantula said, more calmer than Eraz.

"Release them to us, and there will be no warring," The melodic voice from before said. Hermione realized now there were centaurs asking for them, and she didn't know which was worse. She looked at Draco, and her heart thumped out of rhythm to see he still looked lifeless.

"Do not make us attack," The Acromantula called Kadmiel spoke up, sliding down a string of web.

The cat like Acromantula that had stolen Hermione's wand was a few feet below her, and it was now holding Draco's wand as well. _I have to get our wands back. How?_ She thought to herself desperately.

"I see no need to continue to try to sway them. Fire at will," The sharp-voiced centaur said. After that, things happened very quickly. Hermione felt her self being projected through the Forest swiftly, she heard the sounds of arrows piercing the air, the sounds of clicking erupted from all sides, and the galloping of hooves stamped the forest floor so hard the tree's seemed to be shaking with the force. The Acromantula holding her was jumping from tree to tree frantically, and bits of branches and leaves were hitting Hermione in the face as she lay helpless in the beasts arms. The cat-like Acromantula was following them closely, as if afraid to lose sight of Eraz.

All of a sudden she felt her self drop low in his grasp as an arrow hit him in the back. He let out a high pitched scream, but quickly regained composure and started to move again.

"Eraz, this is your last chance," A new centaur voice rose up from below. "We cannot allow you to have them."

An arrow sailed by Hermione's head and she felt stunned. It had almost hit her!

Th next arrow hit Erza in the back again,and his grip on her loosened enough to where she could drop to the branch below them. Her heart was beating madly and she could feel herself sweating and shaking. _Do or die,_ She thought determinedly as she steadied her self on the branch. Eraz was screaming out in pain above her. She spotted the cat-like Acromantula and reached for it, grabbing it by one of it's spindly legs. It made a high pitched squeaking noise, and Hermione tried to pull it close, only to see it's leg break off. _Dammit!_ she thought wildly.

As it started to back away from her, still squeaking, Hermione lunged for it, flinging her whole body off the the branch she was on in order to reach the creature before it escaped. _I need my wand you foul beast,_ she thought darkly, her first closing around it's stiff thorax. She wrestled her and Draco's wand free and launched the creature away from her. Another pair of legs closed around her waist- a different Acromantula than Eraz, but she had her wand now.

"Stupefy!" She yelled, hitting the one trying to grab her. He feel away from her. She was losing her balance on the branch by now, though, and felt her self falling. "Sie Fenum!" She yelled, a rope appearing out of the end of her wand, and then wrapping around a near by tree branch, swinging her upward to land on it. She steadied her balance, and then scanned the chaos around her. There looked to be about 25 centaurs on the Forest floor below, shooting arrows at the Acromantula that were descending on them. She saw one centaur covered in five of them, trying to fight them off. She also saw a smattering of dead ones, filled with arrows, littering the area around them. She searched for Draco around the melee they were in, as Acromantula and Centaurs alike called out battle cries and screams of pain.

"Witch, down here!" She hear done of them call, and saw the non-moving Draco was propped on the back of a gray spotted centaur.

She started climbing down the pine she was on rapidly as Acromantula converged on her, trying to capture her again. "Stupefy!" She yelled, casting blindly into the trees around her. "Stupefy!"

She finally made it to the bottom of the tree, into a chorus of galloping and arrows being loosed into the night sky around her. She was afraid to be down in the chaos, but she needed to get Draco. she couldn't leave him here to die.

"Young witch," The centaur with Draco on his back said again, extending a muscled arm to her. She accepted and he pulled her on to his back with force. Hermione wrapped her arms around Draco's body and was so relieved to feel a heart beat under his clammy skin. She held tightly to him, to steady him, and the centaur they were on galloped away from the battle raging around them. _Are we being led to death?_ She asked herself sickeningly. But what choice did she have? The Acromantula weren't much better, after all.

"Are you helping us?" She leaned close and asked the centaur carrying them away.

"I am helping the world." He responded back, easily navigating himself through the craggy and uneven underbrush. "You are not in harm with me."

Hermione leaned back into a comfortable position. She had no other option but to see where she was being taken, and what fate she was being led to.


	25. Chapter 26

**A/n..disclaimer to any one who follows astrology/ cosmic alignments. I'm not very educated on that subject so I kinda just guessed/ ad-libbed on meanings.**

 **chapter 26**

As Hermione held tightly to Draco's unconscious body, and the Centaur beneath them pounded through the Forest under a sea of blue moon beams, she tried to recall everything she knew about Centaurs. She remembered they viewed being ridden as servitude, and so condoned it. She knew they didn't meddle in the affairs of wizards. She knew they hated wands, and wizarding law. Her head was lulling with the negatives, and it was over whelming. It hadn't occurred to her unil just now that she may be being led straight to the Death Eaters. _Idiot girl!_ She screamed at her self internally. It crossed her mind to jump off the Centaurs back with Draco, but she didn't think she would be able to out run the Centaurs, and especially not carrying Draco's dead weight.

"We are very close," The centaur whose back she was on said. She could make out a faint clearing just beyond where they were, with moon beams shining down to illuminate a thick, tall grass. In the clearing were more Centaurs, standing tall and stately. It made Hermione skin prickle to see them there, ready to cast what ever judgment down on them.

As they entered the field, Hermione felt every moon-lit face on her and Draco. The Centaurs in front of them seemed sentient and looming, with some holding bows and arrows.

"I do not believe they are from the Castle, Volan." The Centaur holding them said, and a dappled white Centaur inclined his head.

"What is wrong with the boy?" The one called Volan asked.

"One of the beasts hit his head on a branch, knocking him unconscious." He answered.

"You may get down now, girl." He cocked his head to address Hermione. She started to dismount, and almost dropped Draco in the process.

"Why did you save us?" Hermione stammered, as she lay Draco down gently in the tall grass. She still had his wand in her pocket.

"What is your name?" A female Centaur asked, walking closer to them.

Hermione hesitated to answer. Should she lie? If Voldemort knew she was out here it could mean her death.

"Do not try to conceal your identity," Volan said, crossing his arms. Hermione looked up at him and noticed that The Centaurs behind him were not watching them, but had their faces turned towards the sky, no doubt star gazing.

"Hermione Granger," She answered. "This is...this is Draco Malfoy."

Suddenly, a familiar face peered at her from the group that was star gazing.

"Firenze!" Hermione almost shouted, relief flooding her entire body.

"Hello," He said calmly. "It is good to see you. Volan, this is the sign that was foretold to us."

"Sign?" She asked, sounding more stupid than she meant.

"Neptune had entered Capricorn. Mercury is in retrograde. Jupiter has entered Cancer." The Female Centaur answered solemnly, raising one hand towards the sky.

"Er..I don't know what that means." Hermione said, puzzled. The night sky was beautiful, of course, lit up with a thousand stars and huge half moon. But it meant very little to her.

Firenze had walked up to stand very close to Hermione, taller than she had remembered, and she noticed a network of angry scars down his sides and his back.

"Excuse us. We do not mean to confuse you so. This is Bremelle," He gesturing towards the Centaur that had carried them there. "This Cepheus," He gestured now to the female Centaur. "This is Ferox, Arothorn, Parol, and Corvus." He gestured in turn to the star gazing Centaurs in the back of the clearing.

"The planets have been muddy, they sky's cloudy and a thick fog taking away our ability to star gaze. It has been so long since we could properly, we were being driven to desolation." Bremelle said. Hermione's mind went to he hoard of Dementors living at Hogwarts. Of course they would be dampening the weather so the Centaurs couldn't star gaze. "During the waning moon last month, the skies became merciful, and returned to us our vision. We saw a great many things, a change in the planetary pathway. Forces coming together, and forces being torn apart. Power shifting hands, and than shifting again. The death of many, the freedom of many. A small drop of changing to coarse of and entire river."

"We saw that it would be starting here, in the Forest. We fore saw a disturbance in the routine of the Forest, and a great many waves expending from that. You are in danger, here. Why have you come?" Cepheus asked. Taking a step towards them.

"I am looking for something that was lost here, during the Battle that took place at the Castle. I need to get it." Hermione answered, still absorbing what they were telling her.

"And what is it you seek?" Volan asked. At this, Hermione blanched again. If they knew of it's existence, would they want to keep it for themselves?

"We do not align our selves with the filth that over runs the Castle," The one called Forex said from his position star gazing. "I can see she worries about that."

"They have caused a great many tragedies, and we have lost half our heard to them. They wish to cage us, or exterminate us, or use us for their own agenda. We take no part." Bremelle added in.

"We wish to see them ran off, we wish to see balance restored." Cepheus joined.

"When Harry Potter was last in the Forest...he dropped at stone. A black stone, about the size of a rock. Square cut." Hermione answered, body aches starting to set in as her nervous system settled down from the surge of Adrenalin she got when the Acromantula attacked. She could feel the gouge on her shin making itself know, and a soreness around her waist where she had been squeezed. Her arms ached from when she had tried to use all her strength from keeping her from falling out of the tall pine she had been on when she got her wand back.

All the Cenaturs faces were on her now, even the ones who had previously been star gazing.

"Harry Potter?" Firenze asked, voice sounding sad.

"Yes. He dropped this stone and I need it." She answered back, her tone as solemn as his.

"What is thie signifigance of this stone?" Volan asked, studying her face intently.

"It's...erm, it's the Resurrection Stone." She said, taking a deep breath. The Centaurs didn't react at first, but she saw them exchanging meaningful looks.

"It is not safe to deal in death and the veil to the other side. Why do you need this Resurrection Stone? Death is sacred and should be given due respect." The one named Arothorn said, regarding Hermione carefully.

"I believe the only way to stop You-Know-Who is if...is if Harry is back. And I need the stone to do that." She replied honestly, the hopeless feeling slowly sinking back into her.

"I know of this Stone," Volan Said. "It does not bring back a true life. It only calls forth the memory. It will not do what you are planning on it to do."

"Not alone it won't. But it you put it with the Elder Wand- The wand you-know-who is probably currently using- and the Cloak I have right here, it would bring him back." She said, listening to how mad and unstable her own words sounded.

"Volan, this is the sign. This is the beginning that will set into motion the vast changes the universe has told us of in it's heralding. We must heed this." Firenze said, voice confident as he regarded the rest of the Herd.

"Her plan leads her to certain death." Cepheus said, matter-of-factly, staring Firenze down with intense green eyes.

"We must not ignore what has been shown to us," Bremelle answered back, now looking up to the night sky.

"If you plan to find this stone, will you resurrect more than just Harry Potter?" Arathorn asked.

"No. I don't want to play around with Death. I do take it seriously. But I see no other way to make things right." Hermione said sincerely. She had toyed with the idea that if all went well, bring back all the Order members and students that had perished, but she knew in her heart of hearts how wrong that would be. She was no benevolant God, here to mess up the balance of the Universe. She would do this task at hand and let the rest of the world, and life, draw from it's own natural coarse.

"I see honesty and truth in this girl," Bremelle said, leaning his head down to peer into Hermione's eyes.

"I do not like this talk of reversing death," Forex said, crossing his arms over his bare chest. "But I see a way for balance through this."

"We will help you get the stone. We do not wish to meddle in other's affairs, but we will continue to be hunted if we do not. I believe the skies finally returned our vision to us as a beckoning to help."

"We know who hold the stone," Cepheus told Hermione, voice low. "But it may be hard to wrench it from their possession."


	26. Chapter 27

**A/n...The riddles aren't mine, they're from a google search, but the responses are mine and i'm not much of a poet.**

 **Chapter 27**

Since getting her Acceptance Letter from Hogwarts at 11 years old, Hermione Granger had some how managed to find herself in all manner of strange and dangerous situations. Sometimes, they were more strange than dangerous, like the year Minerva McGongall had given her a time-turner, in order to take on the fullest load of classes possible. But more often than not, they were more dangerous than strange, like any time Harry Potter had any kind of an plan forming in his head that Ron and Herself would end up apart of. But now, at 18 years old, she found her self in the strangest, and possibly most dangerous, situation she had ever been in. She could never have pictured her self hiking through the Forbidden Forest- With Draco Malfoy of all people!- Or searching for the Resurrection stone, or rubbing elbows with Centaurs, who coincidentally happened to have saved them from The Forbidden Forest's resident Acromantula colony. In her own minds eye she saw how bizarre and misplaced the situation was, but that didn't stop it from being any less real.

Now, she was riding on the back of Bremelle again, with Draco propped up in front of her. She really wished he would wake up, as it had been near two hours since his head had hit that tree.

"There is a beast dwelling in the Forest now, left over from your kinds games and tricks." Cepheus told her, walking beside them, and holding a bow and arrow. "We believe her to be in possession of the stone."

"She stalks this place as if it is her rightful home." Volan said, distaste coloring his voice. Hermione shuddered. "I have seen those dark men from the Castle bring a child in here to speak with her, and when the child displeased her she tore him apart and ate him. We moved to rid the Forest of her then, but were unable. She has some kind of ancient magic about her that our arrows cannot pierce."

"What is it-she?" Hermione asked, her mind conjuring up a menagerie of horrible creatures. Before any of them could answer, Draco started to stir in front of her.

"Granger?" Draco said, voice groggy and thick. His back straightened as he regained consciousness.

"Draco, here," She said. He craned his head to look at her, and then blanched.

"What-? Are we-? What's going on?" He asked, voice rising as he realized they were riding a Centaur, and were surrounded by others who were armed with bows and arrows.

"Shh, relax," She said, grabbing on of his hands. "They rescued us from the spiders. They want to help us. They hate the Death eaters," She explained quickly, as Draco's face relaxed.

"Thank you for rescuing us from the disgusting spiders," Draco said raggedly, as his breath started steadying.

"We did it for ourselves, as much for you," Firenze answered back simply. Watching the sky as he spoke.

"You alright?" Draco asked, turning his body a bit to face Hermione.

"Yes, although a bit annoyed with the way our Forest Holiday is going," She replied cheekily, cracking a smile.

"Ah, well, you get what you pay for," Draco responded, his worried expression breaking into a crooked smile.

"We believe she resides in the southern part of the Forest." Cepheus said, ignoring Draco and Hermione's human banter.

"Who?" Draco asked Hermione over his shoulder.

"Who they believe has the Resurrection Stone," She answered. Draco said nothing, only gave her a puzzled look over his shoulder.

They continued to move through the night slowly, the Centaurs around them occasionally raising a bow at a random noise coming from the tree's, but other wise they faced no incidents or opposition. Hermione wondered how much the Death Eaters bothered with the Forest, and all its residents.

"She is prone to trickery and lies," Volan told them, from his position in front of them. "I would be weary of any thing she says."

"She sounds lovely," Draco mumbled. Than Draco's back wen straight and he frantically started patting down his robes. "Granger, my wand is missing!" He hissed, his movements growing more desperate.

"I have it," Hermione chuckled, passing it up to him.

"Oh, thank Merlin. Thought I was going to have to steal yours there for a minute." He replied, grinning over his shoulder at her.

Suddenly the Centaurs slowed to a halt, and tension rose tight and cold in Hermione's throat.

"of the many trails the steps of life hath, I can not understand why I must always cross the Centaur's path," A purring, throaty voice said. Suddenly, a giant lions paw came into view between two looming oaks in front of them. The moonlight caught on the sharp claws, and than another giant paw came into view. The breathe hitched in Hermione's throat. Than, the rest of the body attached to those paws came into view and Hermione saw that it was a sphinx. She shuddered. Wait...was this the same sphinx from the triwizard tournament. _It is!_ Hermione thought. _Merlin, how did she get here? Was she released after the tournament was over?_

"We have brought before you some one who is looking for something." Firenze said, his bow drawn taught, aiming at the Sphinx.

"In all the universe's mysteries that forge fate's chain-links, who here would wish to seek out the great golden sphinx?" The sphinx asked, stepping forward to tower over the Centaurs.

"We believe you have something that this girl is looking for," Cepheus said, drawing her bow as well. The Sphinx finally swept her gaze across Draco and Hermione, cocking her head to the side in the process.

"How could I expect the tides to turn without a hitch, my folly to not expect this set of wizard and witch," She purred, her eye's zeroing in on Draco's face.

"Do you-do you have the Resurrection stone?" Hermione gathered all her courage, and asked, willing her voice to sound as strong and confident as she did not feel.

"I see you both as a fair player, so if you like for the stone I will wager," She purred, her eyes flashing with excitement.

"We will," Hermione said at once, and Draco spun his body to regard her.

"Granger, what If I don't want to solve a riddle?" He hissed at her, squinting his eyes.

Hermione hadn't thought to discuss with Draco before making a decision, and she felt a pang of guilt. "I'm sorry..." She whispered back, unsure of how to proceed.

"Just ask me next time before you make my decisions for me," He snapped at her.

The Spinx had walked up to them and was now sitting on the ground in front of them. the Centaurs had made room, and stood sentient in the background. Bremelle leaned forward to let them off.

 _'ll wager you a game, If you want what I have hidden_

 _two riddles i'll ask, here in the Forest that's Forbidden_

 _One for the witch, who's hands are shaking,_

 _and one for the wizard, who's loyalties he's staking_

 _should you both succeed, you shall get this powerful prize_

 _should one of you fail, the other one dies_

 _If you both fail, it will be both of your demise_

 _for my claws are sharp, and my ears are wise_

 _and for my riddles there are no second tries."_

The Sphinx said to them, in a melodic voice, staring intently at them.

"Ok," Hermione said. "I'll go first."

 _"Despised I am by knave and liar_

 _After me the wise inquire_

 _I rise above all death and fire_

 _What am I?"_

The sphinx asked, leaning her head down low to the ground to stare up at Hermione.

 _Despised by knave and liar? But what do they despise? Justice? After me the wise inquire...would the wise inquire about Justice? I think they would. I rise above all death and fire? But, Justice wouldn't rise above death..would it?_ Hermione looked down at the ground while she thought. If she was wrong, she would die. _But why would a liar hate justice? Lying isn't against the law... A liar would hate...truth? Err, truth and ...honesty? But honesty wouldn't rise above deeath...truth would, though, I think?_ Around her, the sky started to lighten, signaling the rise of the sun. In the back of her head, she registered how tired and achy her body was, and how empty her stomach was. But as it was, she didn't have time to give attention to those things. _Do or die,_ She thought to herself.

"Is it...the truth?" Hermione rasped, her voice bone-dry. The air around her was tense.

 _"a kave and liar, the truth do despise_

 _the wise inquire about truth as honesty dies_

 _though death and fire rage and ravage_

 _truth it self is the ultimate savage"_

The sphinx answered, her tail flicking behind her. Hermione allowed her self a brief moment of self pride, before stiffening back up. "Now the wizard, an answer must find, as I tell my tale and bare my mind." She said, turning her head towards Draco. He seemed to pale under her intent gaze.

"Er...alright," He finally said, his voice quiet and pinched.

 _"The beginning of eternity_

 _the end of time and space_

 _the beginnings of every end_

 _the end of every place_

 _What am I?"_

The Sphinx purred to Draco, her head inching closer to him with every word. Hermione reached her hand out and squeezed Draco's. She wasn't sure what compelled her to do that, but she was too tired to self-reflect right now, so she just went with it. He squeezed his hand back, but continued to stare at the Sphinx.

Dracos exhaled slowly, and started wringing his hand together. The sun was now starting to peak up in the horizon, Hermione could see it through a break in the dense line of trees surrounding them. A long time passed, with the Centaurs standing statue still around them, and Hermione hearing all the birds chriping and bugs buzzing around them.

Draco sqeezed Hermione's hand so hard that she felt it in her bones.

"Is it...the letter E?" He asked, voice barely abover a whisper.

The Sphinx Hissed and backed up a step, causing Hermione to pull her wand.

 _"The letter E is quite a friend,_

 _Beginning every Eternity_

 _and starting every End_

 _ending time and closing space_

 _and being the finish of every place"_

The Sphinx said, instead of attacking as Hermione was gearing up for. The Sphinx sent a deafening roar out into the morning air, and Hermione saw something glint int he sun ligth and it got tossed over to her. She caugth it, and when she opened her hand, a small, black stone was gleaming there.


	27. Chapter 28

**A/N..Sorry about the long break in between chapters, for anyone still reading! School/ work were so overwhelming, I barely had time to breath.**

 **Chapter 28**

The black glint from the stone brought a memory crashing into Hermione's physic, and she was reminded of the first time she had used the time turner, in her third year. She had felt very liberated, being trusted with such powerful magic. Hermione also greatly enjoyed the independence that came with the time turner, She had been her own woman, in charge of her own destiny, and she felt that way now. I'm capable, She thought proudly, examining the stone closer. A sudden wretched temptation rose up in her, like drinking something cold and feeling it spread out in your body. She could talk to people who were beyond the veil. She could talk to Dumbledore with this..or Lupin..or Fred... The faces swirled forward in her mind, and her hand tightened on the stone.

Suddenly, Draco put his hand on her shoulder, drawing her up out of such tainted thoughts. I don't want to go to places like that, she shuddered internally, before turning her attention to the world around her, to Draco next to her who had helped her win the stone.

"You did brilliantly!" Hermione told him, beaming up at him. His face broke into an uneasy smile, clearly uncomfortable at the compliment.

"Good job, Granger," He responded, his voice unsteady, as if he was testing the words out.

"That was very eloquently done," Firenze told her, face as stately as ever.

"I will live easier now, to know that beast no longer possesses the stone," Bremelle nodded to Hermione and Draco, her bow still raised in defense.

Volan walked up to them, nose crinkled as if the stone had an odor. "Tell us, what will you do now? What decision has this development set in motion?" He asked, eyes setting deeply into Hermione's own.

Her shoulder sagged at the question. She only had a vague, abstract idea of what would come next. She was exhausted, utterly drained from the nightmare she was living in. Her stomach was empty and she needed to rest, to gather her thoughts. The weight of her self-appointed responsibilities weighed so heavy on her.

"We need to sleep, I think, before we can do anything else. I can't think properly right now, i'm so addled," She responded, stifling a yawn with her hand. Her throat was dry, from thirst, and her stomach had sharp hunger pains making themselves present. She thought Draco must be feeling the same.

"Sleep where?" Draco asked her, his own eyes sporting black bags under neath, as if to pronounce how drained he was as well.

"I don't know," She answered honestly. She had never had a concrete plan to begin with, and had not yet mapped out her steps once she had the stone at all prior to obtaining it.

"We Know a safe clearing. No creature will bother you there," Firenze said, taking a step closer to Hermione and extending a hand.

"Please do not use that obscenity while you are there," Volan added, pointing his chin toward the stone in Hermione's clenched fist.

"Thank you," Hermione said to Firenze, accepting his hand and letting him pull her onto his back. "And we will not," Hermione added, turning her face towards Volans.

Draco opted to walk beside Hermione and Firenze, stating that he had had enough of being carried. He looked like a zombie loping along beside them, eyes half shut and making small steps. The war had been kind to none of them, and loping along, dejected and enervated, made Draco appear almost vulnerable to Hermione in the hazy forest light. _He's an orphan now_ , Hermione realized with a wince. _Just like Teddy Lupin_. She wondered what the death toll was now, and when it would be over. She had accepted the thought long ago, that she wouldn't survive to see the war fully over. She was ok with that sacrifice. If she had to die so that others could live- and really live, without fear and as free as they deserved to be- than she would. She would be grateful for the opportunity. She hoped Ron would live, of course, but she knew he felt the same as her. And if she had to give up her life so that Harry could live again, she would gladly.

Firenze walked them through a thicket of Oak trees, and Slowed to a halt at the tree line.

"You may rest here," He said, helping Hermione down. As she examined the space in front of her, the thought crossed her mind that she had never seen grass look so soft in her life.

"Thank you," Draco said, already lowering himself down to lean against a tree. The minute he sat back against the old looking Oak, he was asleep, chin pointed to his chest and hands folded on his lap.

"I will not be far," Firenze told her, his grey-green eyes meeting hers. "Volan and Bremelle will want to talk with you further, once you are rested and able. The rest of the herd will not want you to stay in this area too long, as it is dangerous for us all. The wizards at the castle have an insatiable lust for violence. It will not do us well if you bring their attentions here," Firenze spoke earnestly, almost apologetically.

"We won't stay long," Hermione said wistfully. "I wish I had some way to thank you all for the help. You saved our lives, and I am so grateful." She felt her eyes getting watery, and fought back tears.

"We are navigating these waters together," He answered cryptically, leaving her with a small bow and disappearing into the foliage behind him.

Hermione sat down across from Draco, leaning against a tree herself. She felt so weary, so fatigued, and yet there was so much to think about. The high of getting the stone was starting to wear off now and she was left feeling as lost and defeated as ever. She didn't know much about the Resurrection stone, and had virtually no way to research it, which dismayed her endlessly. She didn't know where else to go from here, just that she probably needed to be in the castle to get the Elder wand. Or is it even there? Where could voldemort be? Her ignorance stung her, and made her feel aggravated. Truly, knowledge is power, and right now she didn't have a sufficient amount of knowledge to accomplish her task.

Across from her, Draco made a low noise in his throat and shifted his hands, pulling Hermione away from her thoughts. _He must be having a bad dream,_ She thought sympathetically, no stranger to them herself. He watched both his parents die. _He probably dreams about that, just like I do with Harry, and Fred, and everyone else. His parents!_ Hermione realized sharply. He helped me win the stone, I bet he will want to use it to speak with them, She concluded dully. She didn't know enough about the stone to know if that would be safe. She remembered the mirror of Erised from first year, and Harry's growing fixation with it. She speculated the implications of that, while squeezing the stone in her hand. No matter how long she had held it, it was still cool, having absorbed none of her body heat.

She slumped her head back against the rough bark of the tree behind her and willed her mind to clear. She needed to rest, no good plan would form while she was this over taxed. She took one last look at Draco, and her consciousness slipped away like a wave in a calm ocean.


	28. Chapter 29

**A/N..Adult themes in this chapter.**

 **Chapter 29**

That night, in the stifling heat and darkness of the forest, Hermione dreamed of Ron. How long and shaggy his flaming red hair had gotten in the six months after Harry's death. How an orange beard had grown seemingly over night. It had made Hermione burn with fiery passion every time she saw him, his ruggedness turning her on in every way. When the world is ending, and every day could be your last, they had thrown caution to the wind, and explored every inch of their bodies together, passing the time between fretting of the future, trying to plan how to survive, and using their bodies to distract from the pain and loneliness of the world. She had felt so lonely after he was taken, not just for his body, but for his presence too. He was her best friend and partner, the one source of light in the dark world around her. But he was gone now, and she doubted she would live long enough to see him again. In her dream, she was grabbing for him, kissing him, running her fingers through his hair with wild desperation. He smelled like the burrow, and campfire, and security. His hands were strong and reassuring, firmly grabbing her shoulder and pulling her into him. His mouth was hot, melting to her, but when she pulled her head back to look at him, Ron wasn't there. It was Draco's hollow eyes and white blonde hair staring her back, his cheeks red, his lips wet. Guilt tightened like a noose around her heart.

"Whats wrong Granger?" Dream Draco asked her in a syrupy way, his voice distorted and thick in her ears. "Why can't you shoot to kill?" He asked her, as she tried to push her self away. She was frantic to get away from him, but she didn't seem to be able to move. She realized they were in the living room of The Burrow, but it was dim and dark. No candles were lit and only a thin amount of light was coming through the windows. She looked back up and Draco's face, and the dream version of herself longed to kiss him again despite the guilt.

"What is wrong Granger?" Dream Draco asked, his voice sharper and rougher this time.

He reached a hand out and shook her by the shoulder, startling her. Hermione's eye fluttered open as she realized this was the real Draco trying to wake her up.

"What-What's wrong?" She sputtered out, trying to catch her bearings, her eyes spraining to adjust to the darkness.

"You were thrashing about and being very annoyingly vocal. Can't really sleep with such a scene," Draco said, peering down at her carefully.

"Vocal?" She responded, cheeks flushing.

"Yes. Are you Alright or not?" He asked, voice thin with impatience.

"Yes, erm, sorry. I was..having a bad dream.." She trailed off, feeling goosebumps spring up across her arms.

Draco didn't respond, only moved back into a reclining position against his tree. It was pitch black around them and Hermione wondered what time It was. Time and dates had become such an abstract concept this last year, she found her self amazed every time a holiday passed that she had no idea was coming up.

 _I really hope I didn't say anything revealing like Ron's name...or his.._ Hermione thought discontentedly. How embarrassed she would have been if she had said his name. She wasn't exactly happy to have Draco traveling with her. Or was she? If she really dissected the situation..it wasn't awful. He had saved her from the _Impius Cogitationes_. He had fought along side her and her friends when the Death Eaters invaded Grimmauld Place. He had helped her win the Stone. _But why did I dream about him?_ She wondered perplexedly. Maybe it was guilt, for she knew none of this would sit well with Ron when her found out. _If he finds out._ Hermione added, marveling at her own mortality.

Hermione relaxed back against her tree, pushing some rogue curls out of her face. She doubted very much that she would be able to sleep again any time soon. Her heart was still racing a little from Draco's appearance in her dream and her sudden pull into reality when he woke her up.

The forest around her was buzzing with night time noise. Bugs chirping, the slow swish of leaves as a lazy breeze blew through them. It was humid and muggy where they were, and she was sweating a little bit. Which was odd, considering the forest was usually chilly, if not outright cold. She supposed that was a good sign, as it meant no dementors were near. She had been slightly worried about dementors the whole time she was in the forest.

 _I suppose I had better start coming up with a plan,_ She consider soberly. Volan and Bremelle would be expecting something in the morning, and Hermione was loathe to be on the Centaurs bad side.

If she had had spare parchment, she would have began a rough draft. But she had only a few scant pieces in her bag, and she wanted to save those for an emergency. How frustrating this all was.

 _I need to end up in that castle, that is my main goal for the foreseeable future. But how? I suppose I could transfigure and fly into the owlery until morning mail drop. That could be a good start. But would anyone be able to tell I was an animaggus? Could the dementors?_ She shuddered at the thought of one flying after her and revealing her. She also didn't want anyone to know she was an animagus, so how would she explain her plan to Draco? _'Hey sorry I gotta run off for a bit..Keep an eye on the castle for me!'_ He was so pushy and expectant that she doubted she could get away with it.

A noise to her left snapped her out of her thoughts. It sounded like hooves on compacted dirt. _Probably Firenze or Volan keeping watch of the area,_ she guessed, waving away her anxiety. But the sound brought an image to her head, an image of a horse. In the theater of her mind the Horse changed from one of living flesh to one made of crude wood, hulking in size, and being pulled by Greek soldiers toward and ancient Troy gate...


	29. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

"I mislike this idea very much," Volan spat at the pair standing in front of him. "The beasts inhabiting the castle are capable of gleaning information, and learning things they wish to learn of. You would have us robbed of our ancestral home, or put in mortal peril when they learn of our herd's help to you. We have provided you safety and access to thing you came here for. Do not repay us contribution ch a vile way," He said, every word acid dripping off his tongue. The air around them was charged, heavy with the tense energy the argument had brought on. It was very early in the morning, and lazy sun beams were weaving their way through the unyielding ancient trees that made up the space around them. On any other day, Hermione would have found this early morning atmosphere to be serene and refreshing, but today it was clouded with confrontation and anxiety. Draco hadn't wanted to tell the Centaurs anything, warning Hermione that the herd would be hostile about their plan, but she had wanted transparency with them. You couldn't strengthen ally relationships through deceit, after all.

"I am pretty accomplished at Occlumency, having practiced with Professor Slughorn extensively," She argued, which, while not strictly true, was not exactly a lie either. She had practiced potions with Slughorn extensively during her sixth year, and she had read a detailed article he had published on the mechanics and mastery of Occlumency during a time in her life when she had set out to master both Legilmency and Occlumency. She had been weak at Legilmency, which was a sore spot for her still. But Occlumency had come to her so naturally and quickly, it had made up for her dejectedness at the former.

"And what is Occlumency?" Volan demanded, raising his chin arrogantly.

"It is the practice of shielding one's mind from magic intrusion by powerful wizards called Ligilems," Firenze answered for her, stepping into the tense space between Hermione and Volan.

"We don't need your permission," Draco spoke, who had been silent during the whole interaction up until that point. Hermione felt his anger palpitating off of him, and this worried her. They needed to come to an agreement, not an impasse.

Cerpheus now stepped forward, and gave a long gaze to Draco. "You are not in a place of authority here. You are our guest, and should be respectful of our herd. You put us in danger-do not take that lightly." He warned.

Hermione placed her hand in front of Draco, eager to get him to stop talking, as he was only making the situation worse.

"We have no other options. We can't stay here in the forest, we need to set things in motion. We have no where to return to, there is no where safe for us. The longer we wait the worse things could get. For your herd as well. Draco and I can use Occulimency to defend our mind and secrets from them. But we have to start today." She had been afraid her voice would shake, but the words came out clear and steady. For that, she was grateful.

"Volan, she is speaking truly. I am not afraid of going to battle with the wizards. Let them come, in the Forest we have the upper hand. The world will burn if nothing is done to stop them. We are as idle as moss, when we should be as hasty as the summer finch." Bremelle spoke passionately, as some centaurs behind her nodded in agreement. The herd looked as torn as Hermione felt, but she couldn't afford to be indecisive now.

"Granger," Draco hissed quietly in her ear, causing the hair on the back of her neck to stand up- an effect she wasn't expecting, and didn't want to welcome. Right now, however, was the wrong time to dissect and digest such things, so she pushed it out of her mind and ignored the sudden heat across her cheeks. "This is a waste of time. Let's just go." He whispered in her ear.

"No," Hermione hissed back, as low of she could. "We need to do the right thing. They saved us, and we owe them," She felt like this was the right thing to do, to convince the herd that this was right, and to get their approval to do so. If the Herd didn't approve, they would still go through with it, but that didn't sit well with her. Enough enemies had been formed, enough divides had been created. In a newer, better world, love and kindness would have to reign. She wanted to be apart of that change. So she would be.

"And what if they kill you both on sight, without bothering with an explanation?" Forex asked, from behind Volan and Cerpheus, his voice not un-kind.

"Than we die. But at least we die trying to make a difference instead of hiding," Hermione answered truthfully. Somehow she did not feel that they would kill her right away, or Draco. The Death Eaters would want to wait for Voldemort first, and he would want answers. Besides, her life was so mixed up and desperate these days, she didn't even view death as failing anymore.

"They won't kill us right away," Draco spoke, voice even, almost lazy. "They want Mad-eye Moody badly. They will do anything to get a lead on his whereabouts."

"The one with the magical eye," Firenze answered the puzzled looks of the centaurs around him. Some nodded in apprehension.

Volan made eye contact with several Centaurs, and everyone was quiet for a long minute.

Finally, Volan turned to adress Hermione and Draco.

"We will take you as close to the edge of the Forest as we can. Should any come looking for us, for answers, we will cast you out and turn away from you forever. We are not enemies you would wish to have," He said darkly. Hermione felt herself shudder.


	30. Chapter 31

**chapter 31**

The air around Hermione was stifling. The morning had given them cool, fresh air, but the afternoon had turned it muggy and humid, causing Hermione's already wild hair to explode around her head in a cascade of frizz and tangled curls. She had a thin layer of sweat coating her body, and her old, dirty robes clung to her skin uncomfortably. Anxiety had bloomed in her like a unwanted cold front, causing her to hyper focus on every noise and movement around her.

Draco and her were sitting about 50 feet back from the Forbidden Forest's tree line, with a very skewed view of Hogwarts. Seeing the castle had filled Hermione with a thousand feelings, spanning from nostalgia, to longing, to fear, to disgust at what it was being used for now. Her eyes were drawn to where Hagrid's hut had been, not some sort of stone structure, in the shape of a square with wisps of smoke coming out of it. She wasn't sure what it was being used for now. A wave of sadness hit her as she remembered she would never have tea there with Hagrid again, those days were as gone as her parents, who she had mourned all this time. They were alive, probably, still in Australia, but she would never see them again. Never hug them again, never show them her marks and explain to there puzzled faces that the grades were good, and she was thriving in her lessons. So she mourned. Her eyes could barely make out the Quidditch stand not that far from where they sat, with the goal posts looming lonely in the sky. Her heart was full of water again, the drowning girl was back. In the tumultuous sea of her heart, the memories of her Hogwarts time sank to the bottom of a cold, dark ocean, painful in their vast weight and stolen wholeness. _Be in the now,_ She mentally chided herself, forcing her eyes to focus and remebering the task at hand.

Every few minutes a cold gust of air would surround the two, and although they couldn't see them, Hermione was sure they were feeling Dementors patrolling the perimeter. She had chills picturing them, sweeping along the grass, bringing frosty and cold air with them.

"Granger, I will have to be rough with you," Draco said finally, his voice tight. He wasn't looking at her, but peering forward, towards the castle they could barely see through the thicket of foliage.

"I don't care," She answered. He couldn't possibly be any rougher than all the other Death Eaters that had attacked her so far.

"I will need to act a little deranged. If i'm too collected they will be too suspicious," He said again, so quiet Hermione had to strain to hear him. She didn't say anything. He had lived with them, after all. He would know what needed to be done.

"How long do you want to wait?" She finally asked.

Draco was silent as he mulled over her question. Another burst of cold shrouded the two, and Hermione felt goosebumps break out along her arms. When Draco still said nothing, she considered telling him about her animagus abilities. _It will make things so much easier...let them take me to the dungeons and I can transfigure and search for what I need._ But she held back. It felt like too big of a secret, weighing down her thoughts, but it also felt somehow wrong to share.

She cleared her throat, hoping Draco would answer her. The minutes were sliding by like melting ice cubes during summer, and she was beginning to get too keyed up. Every second they wasted was a chance to get found, caught, or killed.

"I heard your question, Granger, i'm an orphan not a dunce," He hissed back, closing his eyes. "Give me a moment to think about it,"

Hermione blanched at his sharp tone. _I'm so over this moodiness. We could both potentially be dying soon and he can't find any kindness to share with me at all?_ She fumed silently. Normally she would send the same attitude right back, but her nerves were too shot to argue. She worried her voice would shake, and she couldn't stand to listen to that. She swept her eyes over him, looking at his disheveled head of white blonde hair, and the ghost of a beard starting to bloom across his sharp jaw bone. Hermione was reminded of the _Heroin Chic_ phase that had been popular in the nineties, and with his sunken in cheeks and sharp, angular features, Draco was a positive call to the era. Sitting languidly against a gnarled tree stump, eyes brooding and dark, he looked like a vogue shoot for some obscure and dark men's fashion brand, and Hermione was shocked to realize she found the image _appealing._

 _Idiot girl,_ She hissed at her self mentally. _You're lonely and starved for affection. You won't find it there and you wouldn't want to anyways._ And yet, as if against her will, her eyes swept over his long arms, and his hands, clenched into fists at his sides. She supposed they were probably soft once, when they were at Hogwarts. Pampered and moisturized, having never been introduced to hard work or labor. Hermione had always loved Ron's hands, how they were strong and self assured, calloused from working around the burrow. She bet Draco's hands would -

She cut the thought off before it formed fully. She was being stupid, and un-loyal. She may never see Ron again, but he was her one. Her only one. He had to be. He deserved it, she deserved it.

"When it's full dark," Draco finally said, causing Hermione's eyes to snap up to meet his. "And..and we need to make it look like I've been dragging your through the Forest all day to get to them," He said slowly, his words measured. "Can you create some bruises on yourself? Some cuts, some damage?" He asked, eyeing her closely.

"Yes," She answered at once. That was all part life now, anyways. Either being beaten, or looking it.

"I don't know who is here anymore," Draco spoke, sounding almost more to himself than her. "So we may both be killed immediately. And none of this would matter." He finished quietly, almost a whisper, eyes not focused on anything. Hermione supposed he was thinking of his dead parents, and if he would ever get to honor that sacrifice. Hermione sympathized because she often wondered the same. But if she didn't act, she wouldn't get the chance at least. She toyed with the idea of voicing this, but discarded it. Draco wasn't always receptive to her.

"Let's iron out the details, to a T," Hermione said, scooting a little closer to him. It was at least a few hours till sent down, and every minutes pressed her nerves more and more.


	31. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

"Granger," Draco said, his voice sounding tight and small. "You need to know something." Hermione turned to face him, although the air around them was so dark she wasn't sure if she was meeting his eyes. Something about the way his voice sounded made goosebumps break out along her palid skin. She felt uneasy. The Forest was flush with the night sounds of bugs and distant creatures going about their business. The moon was a ghost of an orb, floating high above the tree line, half hidden behind looming clouds, barely providing any light to the duo. _This would be a wonderful night to curl up with a book,_ She thought quickly. Ghosts of her old life always found a way into inappropriate moments, stabbing at her heart, pushing her back into the cold water.

"Erm..yes?" She asked, pushing the painful thoughts way and tuning into the now.

"Some of the Death Eaters feel like they can...do...what ever they want to a mud-a muggleborn," He said quietly, leaning in close. "Look, I'm going to be blunt. You could be raped, or violated in some way. I know a Death Eater or two who would jump at the chance, actually. You will be beaten. They're going to separate us, and I won't be able to do anything about it. And they're going to take your wand," His voice conveyed a lot of things with that statement, but above all it sounded...almost apologetic to Hermione.

Hermione searched for her voice. Her stomach was a cold rock, and she knew he was speaking rightly.

"They won't be taking my wand," She responded. "I'm leaving it in the Forest. Better to have it here, than in their grasp. And as for the other part, I knew what risks I was taking when I elected to do this. Nothing worth while comes for free," She finished hollowly. She knew about the rapes, but they were always abstract rumors, never touching her or her friends. But now it was a very real possibility. She gulped, and straightened her robes. She couldn't let fear deter her. _Do, or die._ A rogue tear slid down her dirty face, and she clenched her jaw together and willed no more to fall. She wanted so badly to feel detached from what was about to happen, to view it abstractedly and not feel anything. But she was empathetic to her core, and she reminded herself that to feel so deeply separated her from the people residing in the castle now.

"Come on, then," She said, moving towards the tree line. By now they had gotten the Dementors path pattern down, and had worked out how to navigate through it, hopefully not being stopped.

Draco rose to stand next to her. "Go on and make your self look the part," He said, waving his hand at her. She swept her wand over her self and felt a tingling sensation over both her eyes as ugly bruises appeared, and fresh-looking cuts popped up along her face and exposed neck. Than she turned to the tree closest to her and said " _Orchideous!"_ while waving her wand in a figure eight motion. A circle of sunflowers sprang up around the tree, bringing with them a soft smell of petals and fresh earth. Than she pressed her wand flat against the tree trunk and whispered " _Fundamenta montium conturbata"_ and her wand disappeared into the bark.

"To remember where my wand is, if I return," She answered Draco's puzzled face. He nodded and reached a hand towards her. It was clear he wasn't giving up his wand. As it turned out, Draco had practiced Occlumency as much as she had. That fact soothed her.

"You ready, Granger?" He asked. He eyed her face carefully, and Hermione noticed his feature seemed to soften looking at her. His eyes, light as they were, seemed to warm to her face. _He probably pities me,_ She realized, with a start. _Some filthy mudblood, being led to her slaughter._ She reached for the lump in her pocket, and it's rough shape comforted her slightly. She did have something to show for her efforts, after all. _The stone! I have to hide it._ She realized, but her wand was already hidden.

"Draco, let me see you wand?" She asked, and his hand made a slight jerk motion towards it before his eyes narrowed.

"Why?" He half hissed, half asked. He was looking at her snidely, as if she had asked him to drink her spit.

"I need to disguise the stone, and my wand is already in the tree," She answered slowly, as if it was obvious.

"Just give it to me and i'll disguise it," He answered, reaching one hand out to her and one hand towards his wand.

An Image flashed in her mind. Of Draco getting the stone, and abandoning her. So he could have it all to himself. Her hesitation must have been apparent, because Draco scrunched up his face and stared at her oddly.

"Granger-What?" He asked, his eyes turning sharply on her face.

She worked to push that toxic image out of her head. She didn't want that seed to bloom inside of her. She didn't want to be that level of jaded, where she second guesses every gesture, and allows paranoia to envelope her, and turn her any darker than she already felt.

She quickly pulled the stone out of her pocket and handed it to him. His fingers grazed hers as the stone passed hands and she felt a slight tingle. _Oh, you sill prat. Get arsed._ She inwardly chided herself. A moment later Draco handed the stone back carefully, after having transfigured it into a small black mirror compact. She pocketed it quickly, but was weary of the look on Draco's face.

"Granger," He said gruffly, staring at her through glacially cold eyes."You don't trust me."

She gulped.

"Erm...it isn't that I don't trust you," She began, faltering. She wasn't sure what to say. "It's just that..."

"Just what?" He spat out, his eyes closing into slits. "I killed some one..defending you and your friends. I rescued you from the Forest, i've followed you all over bloody England, I helped you to get the damn thing...for what? You're using me just like you accused me of doing to you," He spat harshly, every word quieter than the last, so she had to lean forward to hear them. "I'm not here to be coerced into a partnership where you don't view me as a partner," He finished, straightening his back. His last statement was dripping with arrogance, but Hermione was wondering if that arrogance wasn't a defense mechanism, to mask insecurity. His words cut her, the truth in them hammering guilt into her. _Am I not supposed to be giving him a second chance? AM I not supposed to be trusting him with my life?_

"No offense Malfoy, but you need to understand there is years of bad blood built up between us, and I am trying to get past that, because you have proven you're...different now...but It isn't going to happen in one night." She answered quickly, wishing this could be over, hoping he would calm down but fearing he would just escalate the situation. She didn't want to excuse away her actions, but it was true.

He was quiet for a moment.

"I'm sorry," She said in response to his silence. "But you don't even trust me to touch your wand," She said, trying for the words to sounds softer than the accusations they were.

He looked at her for a long moment with his back straight and his nose turned up, but finally her nodded. _Is that his version of drawing the white flag?_ Hermione thought unhappily. _Fine, whatever, i'll take it._

Draco made a show of straightening his robes and than asked her if she was ready to go, without fully making eye contact.

"I suppose," She answered wearily, and allowed Draco to weave one of his hands into her hair-securely holding it by the roots, and his other hand to wrap both of her hands behind her back. He had her securely now, and it was very uncomfortable, but Hermione wasn't thinking about that. Her heart was beating fiercely now, as she allowed Draco to drag her to the tree line. Her mind was on the unknown they were facing.

Her thoughts were momentarily suspended as she heard a distinct sniffing sound from Draco behind her. _Did he just smell my hair...?_ She waved the thought away. He was probably as nervous as she was, and possibly fighting back tears. This was no time to be silly. _You won't find what your looking for idiot girl,_ She chided her self. _Let this...curiosity..go,_ She told her self, not daring to think of the work 'attraction' in conjuncture with Draco Malfoy. _But why would he..smell my hair?_ She felt her cheeks flush with warm blood. She couldn't help but register how strong and rough his hands were on the delicate skin of her wrists as he held her tightly. Her cheeks felt hot now, so flooded with blood. _Pull yourself together you swot!_ She mentally fumed at her self. She called her mind to the present moment, although her cheeks remained warm.

The tree line was approaching quickly, despite how awkwardly the duo was walking, as intertwined as they were.

"Granger," Draco said stiffly, his mouth so close to Hermione's ear she could feel his breath. "If I..." He trailed off.

"If you what?" She asked, puzzled at his half statement. For some reason, she wanted him to bare his soul to her. She wanted to listen to his words and forget they were about to give them selves up to the Death Eaters. She wanted something human to happen, so she could have something to listen to, some connection. Draco was so cold, so unmoving, and she craved warmth. But how could warmth exist in this world?

He didn't respond right away, but rather looked down at her face, eyes sweeping from one side to the other.

"Nothing," He finished, turning his face back up.

"Err...what?" She demanded, planting her feet firmly on the ground. _Finish that statement right now._ She silently commanded.

"If I die it will be your fault," He winked at her. The wink, how ever, looked forced and his voice cracked saying it.

She didn't know what to make of that, but she didn't have time to figure it out, as Draco was moving them again, and they were passing through the tree line.

" _I said stop kicking you filthy mudblood,"_ He hissed at her, loud enough that anyone around would be able to hear what he was saying. She knew what he was going to say, yet the sharpness and vehemence in his voice still gave her chills. The grounds of Hogwarts spread out before them but the grass was no longer the luscious green it had been in the past. The grass was brown in some areas, but mostly the ground was compact dirt, with distinguishable paths made winding all around the grounds. Here and there were dead trees spread out, dying most likely from exposure to hundreds of dementors sucking the life out of the atmosphere. Hermione could make out two dark silhouettes floating about 50 yards from them-dementors no doubt, making their way to the pair. Every hair on Hermione's body was standing up.

"Let me go you foul, pitiful _arsehole!"_ She yelled in response, thrashing her body about to give off the image of a captive, helpless witch.

From in front of them, A male voice boomed out in to the night. "You-there-Stop and put your wands up!" The loud, arrogant voice commanded. She felt Draco pull one of his hands out of her hair, but her head was twisted so that her line of vision didn't see who was talking.

She could feel the air getting colder around her, and her heart was beating like a drum in her ears.

What happened next, happened so quickly, Hermione would spend a long time after trying to piece together the exact turn of events.


	32. Chapter 33

**A/N..TRIGGER WARNING for a little implied non-con, rape situation. If this isn't something you feel comfortable reading, don't. And if you're enjoying so far leave a comment, they are always appreciated, constructive criticism is always welcome, too. 3**

 **Chapter 33**

It took Draco a long time to realize his eyes were open. The room- or perhaps dungeon- he was in was so devoid of light, Draco was convinced his eyes were swollen shut. A nasty chill went through his body as he realized one of the Death Eaters could have potentially blinded him in the struggle to get him down. _And those idiots snapped my_ _bloody wand,_ He thought angrily, as the scene of Granger hiding her wand in the forbidden forest flashed in his mind. _Know-it-all git._

He attempted to stretch his arms and legs, to check for breaks/ fractures, or any other bodily damage he could have sustained during the fight. He was a bit surprised that he was taken alive. He didn't think the Death Eaters would bother taking him to, just Granger, and he wasn't sure he cared. In some weirdly disjointed way, he had decided that if helping Granger get into the bloody school would some how start a mechanism of action that may improve the quality of Astoria's life one day, it was worth it. He had nothing to live for. He had killed Astoria's father, she would never forgive him of that. She had made him promise her he wouldn't hurt her family if it came to that, when he told her so long ago, he might deflect. Those days were over, and that was that. His parents were dead, the world sucked, and he was a traitor. If The Order managed to kill Voldemort and regain power, he would still be hated by every one in the entire world. _What a great life I've managed to live, so glad I could make everyone proud._ He thought bitterly. He had never felt so isolated before. _Savor every bite, Draco, you earned every bit of this you weak arse,_ he chided himself. After all, he had been too weak to kill Dumbledore, which started his families descension in the Dark Lords eyes.

He believed his mother never cared, one way or the other, about the entire war, so long as her family got through unscathed. She, like him and Astoria, was a product of her upbringing, walking the path that had been lain out for her at birth. She may have found muggle-born's distasteful, but he knew she didn't really care to be apart of the killing process. She probably found that more distasteful than their existence, but she had to play the role that her birth rite had given her. He had to, too, but he had failed. He was too weak to be part of the Death Eaters, part of the world his father was working to build along side Voldemort., and too hated to be accepted nay where else. This was his bed he had been making his whole life, and now he must lie in it, but that bed began to look more like a coffin every single day.

He couldn't pin-point the exact moment that Lucius had started to resent him, but it had been there for quite some time. Perhaps it had even started forming before Draco failed at his mission. A muggle-born was the brightest witch of their generation, after all. Decidedly not a Malfoy. And Potter had continued to best him at Quidditch, proving time and time again that Draco wasn't as good a seeker. That had been a big soar spot for Lucius, who payed big galleons to have Audley Dunford, of the Kenmare Kestrels, come to the Manor and give Draco private lessons between 4th and 5th year. Or buying the entire Slytherin Quidditch team all new brooms. Lucius had dumped a lot of money into Draco's reputation during his Hogwarts year and, unfortunately, never saw a return on his interest.

Draco sighed out loud. He was already tired of this waiting game. _Just come an execute me already you oafs._ He was suddenly glad Granger hadn't shared her crackpot plan with him. He wasn't worried about them torturing the plan out- He had mastered being tight lipped long ago. But veritasum was an altogether different hurdle, that he knew he couldn't jump. Granger had wanted to be captured, hopefully she had some sort of plan for truth serum if it was used on her. He sighed again. His use for Hermione was up now, as well, so he doubted he would ever see him again. Not that it mattered. _Why should I care if I ever see that git again?_ He asked himself pointedly. But a weird feeling welled in his mind. Not…regret...but maybe something of that vein. But _Why?_

She was insufferable, and not his type of person at all. She was mouthy…but, come to think of that, he usually liked that trait in a woman. Made for better, more entertaining company. And she was intelligent, which made for a good challenge. He always loathed long conversations with Pansy, or Crabbe and Goyle. No stimulation what-so-ever. There was a time when he wouldn't even consider her an equal, but now that he looked at the world through a different set of eyes, he knew he wasn't her equal. She had never been too weak to forgo her convictions, as he had. She had bested his test scores time and time again, and not with the help of old money or connections. _What am I even thinking? She's not smarter than me. She was just less distracted during school, and could focus more than I._ But was that true? Or just his denial? She would have been helping Potter all along, after all, and fighting hard on her side of this war.

He banished all thoughts of Granger out of his mind. Why was he spending so much time thinking about her anyways? He forced his mind to conjure up Astoria's face, as it had looked before her father had severed their engagement. Before he was unofficially kicked out of the Death Eaters. She had been so sweet, always with ribbons in her silky hair. And she had always been quick to call Draco out on his bullshit, which he had loved her for. But she could also be petulant, and selfish. So selfish at times, but he had always over looked that part of her. She was raised like that, after all, just as he had been. They had expected the world to be handed to them because they had been raised thinking they deserved just that. His eyes had been opened about the disgusting state of the magical world, and his place in it, slowly over his 7th year, yet he had done what he was ordered…to an extent. He had fixed the cabinets in the room of requirements, brought the Death Eaters in, done his part. But he never enjoyed it. He didn't _want_ to do it. But he always pushed those thoughts away. He had the Dark Mark, he was a Malfoy, he had shoes to fill and parents to make proud. Not that it had worked out that way.

He sighed again and stretched his back to lay down on the cool stone floor. He idly wondered how long he had been in their for, and what day it was. He wondered where Granger was in the castle and what they were doing to her. He felt a chill break out along his spine. An image flashed into his mind, of Romilda Vane being brought through the Manor. This had been when He was still a trusted Death Eater. Right after the Battle at Hogwarts. Theodore Nott had brought her in, with his father and uncle. She was questioned-and tortured- looking for any information on the order. Theodore had come to Draco later, to ask if Draco wanted a turn, before they killed her. Draco had been sipping a glass of wine and scratching some words onto a parchment in his study. _"A turn of what?"_ He remembered asking stupidly, not making the connection. He had known the girl had no information before the torture had even started and opted out of helping. So why would Nott be coming to his now to ask if he want a turn torturing the girl? The other boy had scrunched his eyes brows and made a movement of pivoting his hips, bucking them towards Draco and sticking his tongue out before saying _"A turn with that disgusting swot before she's killed you prat,"_ It had revolted Draco, so deeply in his stomach.

" _Get out you fickle git,"_ Draco had commanded, revulsion bringing him to his feet. Nott had turned and left, and that was that. _Nott could have any of the pure-blood girls in our age group, why the bloody hell would he feel the need to do this?_ Draco had remembered thinking. Power, of course, and cruelty were the answers. He had always wondered, but never asked, if his father had been apart of this. His mother would have never, ever allowed it, surely, but Lucius could be very sneaky at times. Draco had felt compelled to stop it, but that was tricky considering his position, and that of his family's position. Finally, he had told his mother about the raping, and she had been so disgusted she had gone right to Lucius.

" _Tell the others that I will not stand for them soiling themselves like this in my home,"_ Narcissa had told Lucius acidly, leaving no room for argument, and for a time that had stopped that behavior in the Manor. No doubt it continued elsewhere, but at least it was no longer under his nose.

He shuddered to think about that happening to Granger. Or Luna for that matter. He had never given her a lot of thought at Hogwarts, she just seemed… _weird_ to him and she didn't care about how the public viewed her, which was very alien to him. But she had been very kind to Narcissa, coming to her room and giving her a clean towel to shower, and asking about Lucius's favorite color, which had been odd and perplexing, but it was still kind. They had been afraid to eat the food that Luna had brought them, for fear Longbottom had done something to it, but that was just how war was. Severus Snape had poisoned many people at Voldemort's command, and it made you paranoid after a while, to be around so much deceit.

He thought about Pansy for some reason, and the last time they had met on good terms. She had come to him just after the news of his short-lived engagement to Astoria broke, and she had been angry. She had come directly to the Manor in the middle of the night, where Draco was having a drink on the back veranda with Blaise Zabini. The two had been smoking cigars and talking about a whole lot of nothing.

Narcissa had, of course, let Pansy in. She had never liked Pansy and was elated when The Dark lord favored a partnership between Draco and the oldest Greengrass daughter, as she was never thrilled with the idea of Parkinson being apart of the family. She probably enjoyed Pansy's hurt over the engagement, but he could never ask her now.

Pansy had come right over to him and slapped him. He had dropped his drink and Blaise had started belly laughing. It wasn't a hard slap, but it was packed with a lot of emotion.

Blaise had left the veranda after the slap, giving them space, but he was undoubtably still in ear-shot. Draco grinned to think of his old friend now.

"And to what do I owe the pleasure?" Draco had asked her nonchalantly. She didn't say anything, just looked at him with rage filled eyes.

"Don't be an idiot," She had responded, careful not to let a tear drop from her eye. "Greengrass? Really?"

"You know I haven't a choice," He had responded coolly.

"Yes, you do and you told me it would be me," Her voice was heavy with accusation and indignation.

"Oh, Pans, grow up. That was years ago and times have changed," He was bored with the whole confrontation now. He had never loved Pansy, he just lusted after her and then fed off her attention.

 _I should have been softer with her,_ He reflected now, a little ashamed. Maybe some compassion was all she needed to stop her from going off the deep end when she took the Dark Mark.

She had slapped him again, and then lunged at him, trying to kiss him. He had rejected her, which led to her making him her enemy. After that she had competed with him tirelessly, trying at every turn to belittle him or supersede him. His fall from grace had been a long time in the making, and definitely deserved, but he had wondered at times if it could have been slowed or prevented with Pansy as an ally. She was a cunning and motivated person, who always found a means to her ends.


	33. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

Draco continued like he was for several hours. His mind jumped back and forth between memories from before his parent's death, dissecting his own moral scale, and speculating about the order. Particularly Granger. Which was beginning to infuriate him. _It's only because I've been so isolated, and I spent a few days so close to her._ He fervently told himself. There wasn't much about her, other than her intelligence, that should hold his attention like this. _And her charisma. And her wit. She would make an excellent business woman._ His mind trailed after him. He really did wonder what Granger saw in Weasley. Weasley was hapless, and forgettable. His family always seems sprawling, and disorganized. A stark contrast to his own posh, well put together clan. _But Weasley's family always looked happy to be with each other._ The realization stung Draco. Being a part of high society meant having a certain image, and he realized he had rarely ever seen his father and mother smile at anything in public, and very seldom within the Manor. His mother had smiled at him of course, from time to time, but they were small, delicate things that rarely touched her eyes. Lucius had a particular smile when he was getting what he wanted, but it was more of a smug smirk than a true smile. He had seen the Weasley family laugh and smile every time he saw them together. _Disgusting,_ He thought sourly, but he didn't really think it was disgusting. Maybe that's what Granger wanted in her own life. _But she is so ambitious. What a waste, to pair that with someone so uncouth._

 _Leave it!_ He internally scolded himself. _Who gives a fuck Granger wants?_ Being a prisoner to his own wandering mind was less than ideal, truthfully, and he needed an escape from himself.

He decided he needed to figure out at least where he was. He had been laying on the cool stone floor for what felt like hours, and his eyes never adjusted to the dark. He stretched an arm out over head and swept it in an arc shape. He didn't feel a wall, so he sat up. He scooted himself backwards on his haunches slowly, until his back touched a cool stone wall. He used his arms to slowly inch up the wall until he was standing with his back pressed against it. His head was barely an inch below the ceiling, which would put the length of his cell at 6'4". He began to walk slowly around the room, keeping his back pressed to the wall. He met a corner about 6 steps from where he started, and then another corner about 6 steps from there. He concluded he was in a 10 by 10 cell, probably in one of the dungeons under the castle. The stones never seemed to cool, so it seemed probably he was on the south side of the castle, near the lake. He pressed an ear firmly to the wall and listened close. He could hear running water, so he was near the lake, where the castles plumbing met.

He recalled a far-off conversation that he had had with Adrien Pucey, back when he had still been a Death eater. Pucey had been given a position at Hogwarts after the second war, teaching Charms, what a joke that was. He was really there to bully the remaining staff and watch the grounds. Pucey had told Draco that they only used the Dungeons on the north side of the castle now, due to a flooding incident that had drowned several valuable prisoners.

 _So are they hiding me, or leaving me here to starve to death?_ Draco mused calmly, pretending he didn't have panic swelling inside him. He hadn't felt claustrophobic until this very moment, and suddenly the darkness was overwhelming him, and the cold of the stones was causing him to shiver. _They've left me here to die._ His throat felt tight, and his head began to throb.

 _Merlin, just send them to kill me quickly. Don't leave me to die like this._ He silently preyed, hoping some force in the universe might hear him.

Draco felt tears start to stream down his face, which made shame bloom in his chest. That started a chain reaction that caused his breathing to quicken, and blood to pump thick and cold along his skin. He was truly beginning to panic now.

" _You weak fuckin' coward,"_ He whispered to himself out loud, trying to calm himself and failing. He was sweating now and getting lightheaded.

"I thought that was you," A watery voice spoke from above, which caused Draco to trip backwards from fright.


	34. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

Hermione had been awake for several minutes. She just didn't want to open her eyes. Her body ached everywhere, and she was pretty sure some of her ribs were cracked. Breathing hurt enormously, but so did thinking. _Gods don't let me have a concussion._ She prayed silently; her mind bursting with worry.

She laid still and counted her breaths, listening for an indication of where she could be, and trying to steady her rapidly beating heart. She heard far away sounds of voices, heavily muffled, but present none the less. She heard what may have been heavy rain pouring outside, or maybe a rush of water somewhere far off. She was laying on a hard floor, and her shoulders were cold and bare.

When she finally felt confident she was totally alone, she forced her self to open her eyes. She was in a dimly lit room, facing a large wooden door. There were bits of hay on the floor around her, and when she glanced down at herself, she saw her robe was torn to her waist, exposing her shoulders and chest. _Brilliant,_ she thought tersely, looking at her exposed breasts. She pulled the rags of her robes up over herself as best she could.

She sat up and scanned the room for a window. There was none, not that she was surprised. There wasn't any furniture either.

 _Ok, Hermione, what now?_ She took a deep breath and stood up on shaky legs. She stretched as best she could, taking care to spare her ribs as much movement as possible. Her muscles protested every move, but she needed to stretch them. You never knew when being limber would come in handy.

She crept to the door and lowered herself down to the floor, trying to peak an eye out underneath. A thin band of light illuminated the under side of the door way, but she couldn't make out anything in the space in front of her except floor space. How frustrating this was. But, truly, what had she expected?

She slumped back down into a sitting position. She hoped Draco was alright, where ever they had taken him. If they had taken him alive. She shuddered and pushed the thought away. She needed to concentrate.

 _Make it into the castle, check. Don't get myself killed, check. Find the elder wand? OH, god, Hermione you idiot._

She wondered where in the castle she was. And who had captured her? She hadn't been able to see anyone's face when they brought her down. She doubted she could ambush who ever was coming to the door for her next, not in her weakened and injured state.

She wondered if Ron was somewhere in the castle. Or if any of the other captured Order members were. The thoughts hurt. She was here on a mission, and likely wouldn't have time to search the whole castle for Order members after she got the Elder Wand. _If I get the Elder Wand,_ he thought miserably, a lone tear falling down her ruddy cheek.

 _Once I get that Wand, I will have to high tail it into the forest. Perhaps the centaurs will shield me while I try and- Try and what? Bring Harry back? And what spell will you use, idiot girl?_ Hermione realized she didn't know what spell to use. She hadn't had the opportunity to research, and there wasn't exactly a surplus of libraries for her to pick and chose from while she was on the run. _Perhaps I can search the library here, before I escape. If I can escape._ The uncertainty of the path in front of her scared her. She had come so far and lost so much already. _Why didn't I plan this out further, before throwing myself all in?_

Her thoughts trailed to Ron, to back when they had been in hiding together. Harry was dead and gone, and their morale had been so low. But they hadn't wanted to give up.

" _I want to have kids one day, 'Mione. What kind of a world is this for kids?"_ He had asked her, holding her so close. She had been so worried he would abandon her again, and this was his way of telling her he wouldn't. But she could never be sure, not after the first time.

She had wanted the whole thing with him. Marriage, kids, a house. A life, a real, tangible life. Not on the run, the kind of life where roots were laid and the tree grew upwards and outwards forever. That dream was ashes to her now.

 _How could we ever go back to normal after this?_

Draco's face popped into her mind, then. The face had had made when he spoke about Astoria, and the life with her that he would never get.

 _We truly are swimming in the same river._ Hermione thought forlornly. Part of her didn't want to keep her hopes up that on was alive, part of her didn't want to give up hope. It was a terrible line to toe.

Before she could lament on the subject any further, she heard steps approaching the door to her cell. She sucked her breath in quickly, to scared now to even make a sound.

 _What do I do? Pretend to be sleeping?_ But before she could make a decision, she heard the sounds of keys jangling in a lock, and the door before her swung open.


	35. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36**

"Myrtle?" Draco asked into the dark, peering his head up towards the low stone ceiling. Not that he could see anything in the dark, anyways.

"I thought it was you they brought into the castle, but I wasn't sure. Than it was so dark down here, but your voice confirms it," she answered back, and Draco felt a sense of cold pass through him, undoubtably from Myrtle floating through the cell. The sense of relief that flooded Draco was like taking a wet cloak off and sitting down next to a blazing fire in a cozy study- warm and familiar.

"Myrtle where the bloody hell am I?" He asked, still straining his eyes to see in the impossible dark.

"You're under the lake," She responded, mournfully. "Sometimes it fills up with water down here." Her words chilled Draco to the bone. "It's been so long. You have never come to visit me," She added, her voice raising to a higher pitch.

"I'm sorry Myrtle," He said. It was a genuine apology. During his 6th year at Hogwarts, Myrtle had become somewhat of a confidant for Draco. She had been outside his circle, removed enough from his actual life so that she could listen to him without judgement and without expectation. "I wasn't allowed to come back to Hogwarts after I fell out of favor," He said quietly, feeling shame bloom inside him again.

"Things are so nasty here and no one talks to forgotten old Myrtle," She bemoaned above him, as self-deprecating as she had always been.

"You wouldn't want these gits to talk to you anyways," He responded, lowering himself down into a sitting position on the cool stone floor. "Bunch of morons, that lot."

Above him, Myrtle giggled and then Draco felt another cool gust of air that must have been her floating closely by him.

"They're very angry you're here, you know," She said in a hushed, conspiratory tone.

"Yea, well, so am I," He responded back, closing his eyes in frustration. "Did any one say what they had planned for me?"

"They can't decide. The potions master wants to bring you up and question you in front of everyone. The girl wants to kill you," Myrtles voice raised a few octaves, and she settled into to her gossip.

"Which girl?" Draco asked, as a menagerie of female faces floated through his mind.

"The loud one with black hair, she just arrived at the castle this morning and she's already acting like she's in charge." She responded, sounding incredulous.

" _Pansy?"_ Draco asked shrilly, stomach sinking. Pansy would probably get her way if she was the one calling the shots. _A quick death would be better than being forgotten down here to starve to death or drown._ He concluded sensibly, already working through the acceptance stage of his imminent death.

"Yes, and she's dreadful. But I don't think she's very well-liked amongst the staff, you know," She responded dryly, causing Draco to smile despite himself. He knew that Blaise, the current potions master, had never liked Pansy. Blaise was a relaxed soul by nature and had his own way of doing things. Pansy was obstinate and entitled. Not to say that Blaise wasn't, but he wasn't so tactless about his entitlement, like Pansy was. The two bumped heads all the time, and Draco could already see the tension forming between the two that Draco's presence must have heralded.

Draco hadn't spoken to Blaise since before his parent's death, and he could imagine Blaise hated him now, just as the rest of the wizarding world did. However, that didn't stop Draco from having a bit of affection still for his old friend, and he smiled again to think of Blaise wanting to keep Draco alive just to spite Pansy.

"Is the Dark Lord here in the castle?" He asked, dreading the answer.

"I don't think he's here yet but you should have seen them all chomping at the bits to be the one to summon him, to tell him about that frizzy-haired girl," Myrtle said, her conspirators tone back in place, as if she was feeding important and secret information to him.

"Is she down here to?" Draco asked, not liking the concerned tone he had taken on.

"No, she is in a chamber under the Headmaster's office. I popped in to see if it was that girl who was rude to me in the Loo a few weeks ago, because they both have that ugly, frizzy hair, but it wasn't," Myrtle said, sounding a little dismayed. "It's that Hermione, the one always with Harry Potter,"

"I know, they captured us together," He answered absent-mindedly. _Why did they put us so far apart?_ "How did she look?"

"Oh, just awful. Much worse than you," She responded, sounding just a little pleased. He knew that myrtle didn't exactly like Hermione, as Myrtle had thought Hermione was rude to her in the loo more than once.

Draco took a second to process what Myrtle said. For reason's he didn't understand, Myrtles words filled him with anger and worry. _What did they do to her? I swear, if Pansy has laid a finger-_ Draco shook his head and pushed the thought a way. He didn't have a wand, and he was trapped deep under the lake. What could he possibly do to Pansy? Besides, Hermione had known what would happen to her once the Death Eaters got ahold of her and seemed mentally prepared to take a beating. _Please let it just be a beating…._ He hoped, trying not to think of all the things that the Death Eaters could be doing to her.

"Do you know what they have planned for her?" He asked, trying to pretend he didn't feel a swell of panic at the possibilities. _Why the fuck should I care? I'm going to die anyways, and it's not like Granger means anything to me._ He thought, his mind recalling the bickering that was a semi-constant state between them. Due to his status as traitor, and an orphan, he was alone and friendless in this world.

But, Hermione had talked to him, included him in her crack-pot plan and extended him sympathy. Perhaps, in a weird way, she was his only friend. The thought made Draco grimace, and he tried to push it from his mind. He didn't like thinking like this. She was a know-it-all git, and definitely not someone he could pal around with. _So then why do I care? You're weak, Draco._ He scolded himself mentally.

"No," Myrtle answered. "I only know that they summoned you-know-who to come because she is here. They don't want the other prisoners to know that you two are here, so it's all very hush hush. They don't care about talking in front of the ghosts, though. They think were useless," She finished with an attitude, her voice trailing off.

"Who else is a prisoner here?" He asked, curiosity peaking.

"I don't know. I don't go down to the dungeons much, I just stay in the loo usually," she said, as she sniffed the air.

Draco rubbed his forehead with his hand. It wouldn't matter who was prisoner here anyways. They would hate him regardless of his own status as a prisoner, and it's not like he was going anywhere any time soon.

"They're going to leave me here to die while they decide what to do with me," Draco said, more to the universe than to Myrtle.

"And you will probably move on, and poor old Myrtle will still be alone," She said mournfully.

Draco chuckled. What else could he do? She was right. The thought of being a ghost detested him. To stay and watch a world change that he couldn't truly be apart of? No thanks. _You have already been doing that, though, you fool._

"The other staff won't tell the transfiguration teacher who was taken prisoner," Myrtle added.

"Of course, Edgecomb. They think he harbors sympathies," Draco answered thoughtfully. It had been Waldorf, Astoria's father, who had advocated for Edgecomb's position at Hogwarts. Waldorf believed an education was paramount for the next generation of Death Eater's. But Waldorf was dead now, and there would be no advocate for Edgecomb anymore.

"I suppose I can go up to the castle and see what that lot is up to now," Myrtle said, after a few minutes of silence.

"You can maybe see what they're doing to Hermione, too?" Draco asked without thinking, and immediately regretted it. _Why the fuck do I care?_ He scolded himself. _And if they're torturing her, what could I do to stop it? It would be better not to know._


	36. Chapter 37

**A/n…Thank you to everyone for your kind and constructive reviews : ) I really appreciate them all.**

 **I'm slowly going through my old chapters and fixing all the spelling and grammatical errors that seem to be so prevalent. TW This next chapter has violence.**

 **Chapter 37**

"Get up, you filthy mudblood," The man before Hermione said. He was a far sight from the crazed man Hermione had seen at the battle of Hogwarts. Antonin Dolohov's face was lined deeply, and he looked much older, as if he had aged three times as fast as a regular person. His hair had gone predominantly gray, as had his beard. His flat, brown eyes met hers coldly, and Hermione could see a faint scar running from his temple down to his jawline. He had deep, dark circles under his eyes and his brows seemed to hang low. He looked somehow hunched over, as if he was too tired to stand with good posture. _He looks like a man that has been drained of his energy,_ she thought as she looked him over.

When Hermione didn't immediately get up, Dolohov brandished his wand at her. "Don't make me hex you, mudblood," He said icily, taking a step towards her. His voice sounded gruff and intimidating but Hermione noticed a slight tremor in his hand that caused his wand to shake slightly.

 _Don't show fear,_ she instructed herself. She took care to get to her feet slowly, being mindful of not looking clumsy or scared. She tried to hold her torn robes up with one hand, suddenly very aware of how exposed she was.

"Come forward," He huffed, beckoning her with his wand. Hermione could make out two figures behind Dolohov, a younger man and a raven-haired girl.

As she neared the door, Dolohov grabbed her arm roughly, pulling her forward. But Hermione steeled herself and refused to register any pain he caused her.

"We haven't got all day," He barked in her face, obviously annoyed at her lack of urgency. "I could kill you right this minute if you displease me," He breathed in her face.

"Than why am I still here?" She challenged back before she had time to filter her words. She was met with a slap across her face that stung and made her see stars.

"Shut your whore mouth, now." He growled at her. She knew he didn't have the authority to kill her, because if he did, she would be dead already.

"You would think a filthy mudblood with so much to lose would show a little more respect," The raven-haired girl said, brandishing her wand toward Hermione now too. _That's Pansy Parkinson,_ Hermione realized, meeting Pansy's sharp green eyes. Pansy looked like a feral cat compared to the slump figure of Dolohov. Pansy stood ram-rob straight, with an electric air about her, as if she was full to the brim with manic energy. Her eyes darted around wildly, taking in all of Hermione. _Never thought Pansy would be so happy to see me, ha!_

Hermione swept her eyes over the other figure as Dolohov pulled her through the doorway. It was Marcus Flint, and he looked just as ragged as Dolohov. _Life under the Voldemort regime must not be as grand as they thought._ Marcus had his hair cropped very short, and Hermione could see some scars across his scalp that snaked down his neck. One eyelid seemed to hang lower than the other, giving his face an off-set look. He had dirty hands, with soil caked under his nails, and his robes hung about his figure raggedly, as if he had lost a great deal of weight since purchasing them.

Dolohov pulled her down the corridor as Pansy and Marcus flanked her from the back. Despite being held so closely by a Death Eater, and how badly her body hurt, it felt good to breath air from outside the room she was trapped in.

 _Is this the headmaster's office?_ She thought wildly as Dolohov brought her to a familiar gargoyle statue. The statue filled her with an odd feeling. She hadn't been at Hogwarts since the battle was lost, and she hadn't truly ever thought of it as taken over. In her mind it stood stately and magical, with all her dreams and learning experiences still lingering in the halls. Now it was an insidious place, full of malice and deceit.

The room she was being held in could have been any old room, in any old place, but this gargoyle statue was unmistakably Hogwarts-esque, and the odd feelings of tainted nostalgia couldn't be pushed away.

Dolohov leaned closely to the statue and whispered something to it that Hermione couldn't hear, and suddenly the doorway to the office was opening and she was being pulled inside roughly. He shoved Hermione towards a wooden chair and muttered " _Icarcerous,"_ as he waved his wand towards her. Thick ropes sprung forth from the end of his wand, binding Hermione tightly to the chair.

Pansy and Marcus shuffled through the door, pansy giggling smugly to see Hermione tied up.

"We Have some question for you, girl," Dolohov rasped but Hermione didn't answer. She was too busy craning her head to see the headmaster's office. Most of the portraits of previous headmasters were gone from the walls, save a few. Albus Dumbledore's face smiled down at Hermione from his perch, and Hermione could see a black-haired woman, a few feet above Dumbledore's portrait, and a stately looking man in a black pointed hat, but the rest were gone. The walls were a deep green color now, and Hermione couldn't remember if they had been green before. All of Dumbledore's curios seemed to be gone, including Fawkes, Hermione noted sadly. The office smelled like burnt wood now, where as before it had smelled faintly of peppermint.

"Hello, Ms. Granger," Dumbledore said from his portrait, and winked at her. She couldn't stop her mouth from opening at the musical sounds of his voice, and all the memories it brought with it. But she didn't have time dissect her thoughts, before Dolohov's raging voice erupted from behind her.

" _YOU WILL NOT TALK TO MY CAPTIVES YOU BLITHERING OLD MAN!"_ Dolohov roared from behind her, causing gooseflesh to break out across Hermione's skin. _"I WILL FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET YOUR PORTRAIT DOWN AND I WILL CUT YOU INTO PIECES AND THEN BURN THEM ALL ONE-BY-ONE-"_

"Enough, Dolohov," A silky voice said from a shadow in a corner of the room, cutting off Dolohov's rant. Hermione craned her neck to see that Blaise Zabini was leaning against the wall, hands in his pockets, looking at Hermione with cool, intelligent eyes.

"Zabini, how did you get into my office?" Dolohov barked at him, his face reaching new shades of red, as a vein started throbbing on his forehead. _They're going to give him a heart attack,_ Hermione thought to herself placidly. _Perhaps that will be the distraction I need._

"This has nothing to do with you, Zabini." Pansy said acidly, as she walked further into the office. She sounded as petulant as ever, turning her nose up at Blaise. Her high heeled bots clicked against the stone floor, and the sound echoed into the vastly high ceiling. _She certainly commands an air of attention._

"Oh, I think it does Parkinson," Blaise replied coolly. He was the only one Hermione had seen so far that looked normal. He didn't seemed fatigued, injured or haggard like Flint and Dolohov appeared. He didn't seemed filled with strange, manic energy as Parkinson did. _How is he managing so much better than them?_

"Enough bickering let's just get it over with," Marcus spoke, sounding irritated and impatient. "We want to know what you and the rat were doing in the forest. Don't lie to me mudblood, Malfoy's already told me everything."

Hermione had to refrain herself from rolling her eyes and laughing. They would have killed her already if Draco had snitched her out. It would have meant Draco's life, as well, and she had a feeling he was still alive.

Hermione took her time before replying. She craned her head up to look at Dumbledore's portrait again, and he favored her with a small sly smile, as if they shared a joke.

"Narcissa was feeding information to Moody for a long time. Lucius did not know this, but Narcissa feared Voldemort would kill him-" Before Hermione could finish A hard hand landed on the back of her head that sent her reeling.

"That's Lord to you, mudblood," Dolohov spit in her ear. Hermione tried not to show pain. _Don't look weak._

"So Narcissa hoped to trade information with safety if the tides should turn for her family. I don't know how much Draco was involved in this, if at all. I know Moody showed up with them both one night and the next the death eaters were upon us. Draco fought with us, and then later took me captive, explaining that he needed to bring me for redemption, and he didn't want to risk someone else capturing me, so he fought with us against the death eaters." Hermione sighed and tried to look angry.

"Liar!" Pansy hissed and slapped Hermione hard in the face. "Filthy mudblood liar!" Pansy reached into Hermione's hair and wrapped some of it into her fist, pulling hard. Hermione's head rocked forward with the force of it. "You will tell me the truth right now," Pansy demanded, tightening her grip. Hermione's head swan with the pain Pansy was inflicting.

"That's it," Hermione managed to gasp out, as Pansy pulled her hair. She didn't want to appear weak, but it was so hard. She was half starved, and sleep deprived. How could she possibly stand her own against them?

"We know you're lying," Dolohov spoke from behind Pansy.

Pansy, who's facial features had always looked cruel and sharp to Hermione, seemed to soften somehow. Her face rearranged itself into a mock-sympathetic smile and she leaned in close to Hermione. Pany's breathe smelled sour, like old milk.

"I'm going to enjoy killing you as much as I enjoyed killing that pathetic oaf Weasley," She whispered sweetly into Hermione's ear.

"It's not true," Hermione whispered back, the tears already forming in her tired eyes. _I refuse to believe it. It's a ploy to get me to talk._ She told herself, as the noose around her heart tightened and she felt that familiar feeling of drowning again. She looked up into Dumbledore's portrait, hoping for strength, or perhaps for some word from him that It wasn't true, but his portrait stood empty. Hermione felt the noose around her heart tighten again, and the office around her swam from view as she lost consciousness.


	37. Chapter 38

Draco put his hand down carefully on the stone floor where it met the wall. He pulled his hand back sharply when he felt a small puddle forming there. His eye sight was lost in the darkness entombing him, and he felt panic rise up in his throat, cold and choking. _Calm down,_ he commanded himself and took a few steadying breaths.

 _Dammit all,_ he thought sourly as he realized water was beginning to seep into his dark cell. He put a clenched fist against his forehead and fought to hold back acidic tears.

 _I don't even get to die in some gallant way. I'm just going to drown alone in this cell. Forgotten..._

The realization hurt. As soon as his father was killed, he hadn't thought he was going to survive long. He fought to survive to protect his mother, to see her get somewhere safe, but he had failed at that just like he failed at everything he tried.

He wondered if anyone in the castle knew when the cells down here flooded, or if they just left it to chance. Would anyone come check on him to make sure he was still alive? _Probably not._

 _Maybe myrtle will stay with me while I die,_ he mused grimly. He felt the corners of his mouth twitch into a sad smile. _How fitting. Luscious Malfoys only son, heir to the Malfoy fortune, dying at the hands of the people Luscious fought so hard to be apart of._

 _I'll never see the Manor again. I'll never to get to clean it of the filth Voldemort brought into, I'll never get to go into the wine cellar for a prized vintage. I'll never read another book in the library. Or visit the greenhouse. I will never plant jasmine for my mother in her favorite part of the garden._ Tears were streaming down Draco's sunken cheeks now, hot and wet and full of anger mixed with regret.

He slumped against the wall and closed his eyes. He idly wondered what had happened to Hermione elsewhere in the castle, and if Astoria had heard of his capture. _If she did hear of it, she probably rejoiced._ The thought filled him with loneliness. Astoria hadn't wanted to be apart of the war or live constantly afraid for the future. Voldemort grew more paranoid with every passing day, and every family wondered who would become the object of suspicion next. Some families, like the Parkinson's, would gladly feed into the paranoia, whispering into Voldemort's ear about all the other death eaters, stoking the flame of suspicion as one would stoke the flames on a dying fire in a fireplace. The Parkinson's were especially dangerous, and no one was as happy to watch the Malfoys dethroned as Cassius Parkinson, Pansy's father, had been. Thinking of Cassius and Pansy made Draco's anger flare up.

Pansy had had a sweet mother, however, named Abilene. She had been a dear friend to Narcissa. Draco had remembered more than a few times that Abilene had come to the manor, covered in bruises and hands shaking too badly to do anything about her appearance. Narcissa had always helped get her right again, giving her pepper up potion, magically tending to her wounds. _Poor woman,_ he thought to himself. _Cassius for a husband and Pansy for a daughter. Her happiness never stood a chance._ Abilene had been fraught when Pansy had gotten her dark mark, but she had only confided that to Narcissa. Narcissa had even wondered to Draco once if Abilene would consider going with them, when they escaped. But after the Malfoys fell out of favor, Narcissa never saw Abilene again. No doubt Cassius had banned her from going to the manor.

"Draco," Myrtle spoke, so close to Draco's ears that he shot up into a seated position.

"Yes?" He answered, his voice coming out hoarse.

"Someone is coming down to get you. Good thing too, I think the cell is starting to flood," She answered airily, and Draco felt a cold gust of energy pass through him. He shuddered. The water was about an inch high now, and very cold. Draco estimated it would probably take around 4 hours for the tiny cell to flood completely.

"Who is it coming down? What do they look like?" Draco asked in a hushed tone.

"I don't know their name, no one ever bothers to introduce themselves to lonely old Myrtle," She told him forlornly.

Draco sighed. He didn't know if the wizard coming down to his cell would be better or worse than slowly drowning to death below the Hogwarts lake. He shivered.

"He's a rather tall man," Myrtle added, "And the black-haired witch seemed very angry that he was allowed to come down." Myrtle whispered in a gossipy way.

Draco ran through his mental rolodex, flashing between a myriad of 'tall' wizard he had been acquainted with previously. There was too many in his minds eye. And all enemies now.

"they've got that awful Hermione Granger in the headmasters office," Myrtle said, her voice now coming from above him instead of in front of him.

"Oh?" Draco answered, unsure of what to say. He felt a chill. He knew whatever they were doing to her wasn't good.

"I can't cross over into that room, too many ghost wards, but I know that they can't get Dumbledore's portrait down. And that gruesome new headmaster has regular fits that he can't get the portrait down. You should hear him yelling." Myrtle giggled in a girlish way.

"What are they doing with her?" Draco asked, knowing that Myrtle wouldn't have an answer. His felt his fight or flight response kick in. He wasn't quite sure why.

"Nothing good, I expect," She answered dryly.

Draco longed for his wand. He began mentally preparing himself to use his legilimency, to guard his mind against whatever was coming down to meet him. He had failed at so many, many things in his life. He didn't want his last moments in this realm of him failing again. It struck him that Hermione would probably tell people about Draco after his death. That panged him with sadness. She was a noble person, which didn't always serve her, but that nobleness would carry out of her mouth what Draco had done. And that made him feel ashamed for some reason that he couldn't work out. The thought was almost alien to him.

The sound of approaching footsteps snapped Draco's mind back into the present moment. He tensed. He felt so helpless to the situation unfolding around him. He couldn't defend himself and he couldn't escape.

All Of A Sudden the sound of footsteps stopped, and the cell door swung open with a creak. A lighted wand nearly blinded Draco, and he was filled with relief that he wasn't blind. The light glared in his eyes so he couldn't see who the wand belonged to, but the unmistakable voice met his ears and filled Draco with so many conflicting feelings that his mind was racing-racing almost as quickly as his heart.

"Malfoy," Blaise Zabini said, voice as smooth as butter. "I don't want to get to my robes any more wet than they already are. Stand up," he commanded. Draco took a breath and mustered any courage he could.


	38. Chapter 39

Draco walked in front of Blaise clumsily, self-consciously. His bare feet splashed in the cold, mucky water that was filling the stony corridor around him. It made him shiver. As Draco walked, he became hyper aware of all the damages his body had taken over the last week. Everything seemed to ache, and one shoulder throbbed incessantly. He felt weak, and his pulse bounded in his ears like the beat of a war drum. His empty stomach growled meekly, to remind him that he was starving. He had never felt so low in his entire life. The air around him smelled wet, like hot summer rain. It was nauseating.

Blaise was silent behind him, his own footsteps keeping time with Draco's. Draco considered trying to talk to him and then thought better of it. What could he say? _Hello, old friend. You're looking well. Shall we go see Voldemort then?_ He felt dismayed. Blaise had been a real friend. A confidant. Some one who wasn't just another death eater clone, primed and ready to serve. But that had been a lifetime ago, and friends didn't exist for Draco anymore. _What a laugh that the closest thing I have to a friend is Granger, and even she probably hates me._

The pair eventually ascended a spiral staircase, and Draco felt his legs get weaker. He was afraid of what was waiting above. He would undoubtably be tortured, and questioned, and then killed. He no longer believed that was better than drowning alone. 

"When you get to the top step, stop walking." Blaise commanded from behind, voice almost bored. Draco stopped. He swayed briefly. He wondered if he would pass out, as darkness swan before his eyes but dissipated quickly. Blaise stepped in front of him, sharply dressed in slate gray robes trimmed in black silk. He looked healthy, clean-cut (other than the damp line ringing the bottom of his robes) and he had a bemused expression on his face that Draco couldn't read. Draco also noted that had had started growing a bear since last Draco had seen him.

"I don't think I have ever seen a Malfoy so besotted," Blaise mused, stepping around Draco in a half circle. His eyes gave nothing away.

"I don't think I've ever seen an imbecile so up trumped before, but here we are," Draco shot back immediately, trying very hard to display a bored expression on his face.

"You would do you well to guard your tongue, current circumstances being what they are," Blaise said lightly, his expression amused.

"I would do well with a glass of fire whiskey and naked witch, current circumstances being what they are," Draco countered. Blaise cracked a smile that bordered on being a sneer, before turning on his heel and magically unlocking the heavy iron door in front of them. A familiar smell hit Draco from the other side of that door. A smell of ink, and quills, and book pages. A smell of pine and faint owl droppings. A smell from a time when Draco's world had been right. A smell of _normality._ A thousand images swam before Draco's eyes, each memory a shard of broken glass encircling him. It was a painful sensation that made sadness seep into his soul. Hot tears threatened to escape his eyes and he blinked them away. It wouldn't bode well to start crying here, now.

As Draco stepped through the doorway he was consumed with pain. An excruciating pain that made him fall to his knees and throw his hands around his head. It was over as soon as his knee's hit the corridor floor, and he looked up to lock eyes with a smirking Pansy Parkinson. She was dressed in black robes trimmed with red velvet, and her raven hair hung around her face in loose curls. She looked quite smug standing above him.

"Just thought I'd give you a proper welcome, blood traitor," Pansy mocked curtsied at him. Blaise stepped in between them casually.

"Not your territory Parkinson," Blaise said coolly.

"What is and isn't my territory doesn't concern you Zabini," She hissed back, her eyes narrowing.

Blaise looked down at Draco and signaled with his head for him to follow. Draco stood up on shaky legs, eager to get away from Pansy and anymore curses she had for him.

"I'll take him the rest of the way, actually," Pansy said, stepping between Blaise and Draco.

Blaise ignored her and began walking down the corridor. Draco followed suit.

"Zabini it was not a question," Pansy said from behind, drawing her wand. "I outrank you, and you will do as I instruct." She smiled acidly, her dark eyes shining with anger.

Blaise said nothing, but Draco could tell that he was grinning in front of him. Draco could also feel anger rolling off of Pansy in waves. He smirked while looking down.

Another _cruciatus_ curse hit Draco from behind, and he once again found himself on his knees, every inch of his body crying out in agony. It was as if he could feel his own capillaries bursting in his skin, and his ribs crack from the pressure.

" _Finite incantum!"_ Blaise cast at Pansy, and Draco was released from the curse. "Parkinson, It would appear as though you seem to forget who gives the orders and who follows. The dark lord gave me this order, and I am following it. Perhaps you are familiar with the way this works?" Blaise asked her acidly, every word dripping with sarcasm and contempt. "But, please, if you find yourself dissatisfied with the way things are being run, you should bring this up with the Dark Lord directly." He smirked at her.

Pansy face was red with rage, and her wand hand shook slightly. But Blaise had her there, and there was nothing she could say now that wouldn't not be taken as her directly disobeying Voldemort's orders.

Draco got back to his feet with some effort, and he and Blaise started again down the corridor. Pansy's footsteps let Draco know that she was following them and would not allow herself to be left out of what ever was waiting for Draco.

As they walked, the corridor around dhim started to look less like a dungeon pathway, and more like the school he remembered, tapestries started to appear on the stone walls, and every person in the paintings stared at them as they walked by. A women in 14th century fashion even waved as they passed, though no one waved at her back.

Soon they were on the second floor, having climbed the moving staircases near the great hall. He had hoped to see the great hall, but they hadn't gotten close enough. Draco noted most of the suits of armor that used to line the corridors were all gone, with dusty alcoves sitting empty. _They must have been destroyed after the battle,_ he thought grimly.

Draco also noted that they passed no one else. There were no sounds of students, or professors. No Death Eaters made them selves seen. It felt very eerie. He supposed everyone was ordered to the dorms while he and Hermione were here, which made him all the more nervous.

 _No one knows we are here, to come help us._ The thought blindsided him. He realized no one would rescue him anyways, but he felt a small pang of…guilt? Regret? Sadness? That no one would know Hermione is here to rescue her if her plan went bad. He couldn't even sort through his own feelings. Why should he feel sadness for Hermione anyways? He was certain she didn't feel it for him. _Push that thought away,_ he commanded himself.

Before he could process his thoughts anymore, Blaise was leading him through a wooden door.

"Sit," Blaise commanded, pointing to a wooden chair in an otherwise empty room. Draco sat, and Blaise used his wand to magically tie him to the chair. Blaise also conjured up a plush armchair for himself, and a writing desk, where he promptly sat down and took out a long quill.

Pansy remained in the doorway, and, getting impatient cleared her throat and began tapping her foot. "What are we waiting for?" She asked, almost hissed, and Blaise.

Blaise deigned to answer, instead he just kept writing on a piece of parchment.


	39. Chapter 40

Done with his letter, Blaise curled the parchment up in front of him, tapped it with his wand and muttered a few words quietly. The air in the room was stale, and he was itching to get up and exit through the door to his left. He had a bit of a migraine coming on and needed some fresh air. He also needed a drink. But he had too much to do, too many things that needed his immediate attention. He sighed and looked over to his right where Pansy Parkinson was sitting on a severe looking chair she had summoned, face petulant as she tapped her foot anxiously.

The Dark Lord had made Draco his charge for now and ordered Draco to be conscious and alert when he arrived to the castle. If he were to leave Pansy alone with him, he was sure Draco would not be any of those things once The Dark Lord arrived.

Blaise decided to play the waiting game. He was immeasurably good at it, and judging from the way Pansy was always fidgeting, she would not be. He relaxed his jaws, and his shoulders, which he hadn't realized were tense, and crossed his long arms in front of him. He became still and motionless, with even breathes. Up until this moment, Pansy had been watching him intently as he wrote on the parchment, but now she would have nothing to watch. Draco was still tied to the wooden chair against the northern wall, but his head was bowed, and he was taking deep and even breathes. Blaise wasn't sure if he was asleep or not, but it didn't matter.

Minutes slipped by as Blaise stayed as stately and still as a marble statue. In stark contrast, Pansy jiggled her legs, fidgeted, cross and un-crossed her arms. She sighed, and sniffed, and messed with her hair. She got up out of her chair and stretched. She sat back down. She looked from Draco's face to Blaise's. She pulled a folded up _Daily Prophet_ out of her robes and flipped through the pages, not reading it. As these movements registered in Blaise's peripherals, he had to stop himself from smirking. _Pansy cannot go without some sort of stimulation for even an hour,_ he mused to himself.

Finally, after a long and dragging hour, Pansy got up and disappeared from the room with a huff, her robes sweeping behind her. Blaise was pleased with himself. This was not the first person he had played the waiting game with, nor would it be the last. And he always won. He cast an eye towards Draco, whose face was tight with a crease between his brows. He was dozing, no doubt from exhaustion and injury, and most likely dreaming something unpleasant.

He got up quietly and left the room. He did not want Draco to wake up and try to talk to him. He locked the door behind him, muttering a spell that only he could use the counter spell to. He drew up an image of Pansy standing at the door casting _alohomora_ repeatedly with no luck and getting increasingly irate. He loved to see her struggle and be denied something.

He checked his pocket watch, dismayed to see that it was going to be time for his first lesson of the day soon. He wanted to drop this parchment off before the day became too hectic. He toyed with the idea of cancelling the lesson, knowing he would undoubtably be pulled out of it when The Dark Lord arrived anyways but dropped the idea. Things would be tense enough as is, no need to make waves and draw suspicion. What the castle lacked in deft professors it made up in suspicion, paranoia, and distrust. Everyone quick to point out some one else's mistake, some one else's accountability, ever fearful that the heavy gaze of Voldemort's eyes would soon turn to them. Everyone had seen the Malfoys fall from grace firsthand, and no one was eager to be the next family to befall that fate.

He worked his way down through the castle, heading to the potions room. He passed a window as he walked and stared out at the morning sky. The sun never really came through the sky to the castle anymore, not since the dementor population took up permanent residence, however it looked a like a pleasant morning none-the-less. He wished he could escape for a few hours, return to Hogsmeade for a drink and his cottage he rented there. He hated to spend any extra time at the castle and liked his privacy, but as of late more people were raising concerns about his comings-and-goings. Millicent Bulstrode, the herbology professor- if you could call what she did worthy of being a professor- had insisted once that he bring her to his cottage. She was bold about it, and insinuated that Blaise was hiding something there. But the way she looked at Blaise when she insisted he bring her there had been very telling, and Blaise denied her outright. He wasn't interested in her or what she wanted them to do when they got to his cottage. There wasn't a witch in this castle he wanted, though a few wanted him.

No, the witch he wanted was in Hogsmeade, probably sprawled out across his bed, curled in his blankets. He checked his pocket watch again. Knowing her, she would sleep till noon. She probably had a half drank glass of fire whiskey on the nightstand, her discarded clothes on the floor. He pushed thoughts of her away and continued his descent through the castle. Current situations being what they were, he doubted very much he would be able to slip off his cottage for a while. Students were beginning to fill the halls now, a few greeting him, most just scurrying to their lessons. The dementors made the students quiet, and the halls were so much less nosy now compared to when he had been a student. There were fewer students too, now that Hogwarts only accepted pure bloods, and half-bloods whose families had been approved by the ministry.

When Blaise had been given this position- and it had been given, Voldemort had not allowed Blaise to choose- he had been wary to teach. He was of agreeance that the new crop of witches and wizards deserved a good and thorough education, but that did not mean that he wanted to be apart of providing that education. He had warmed to the idea once he learned that Pansy had been dying for a teaching position and had been denied. He had a problem with some 6th and 7th year students, what with him being so close in age, some of the witches tended to think they might be able to sway a grade from him if they offered certain favors in return. He always turned them away.

When He reached his office, attached to the northern wall of his office, Adette Brignac was waiting outside the door. She was a petite, blonde witch from France. She had been a student under Madam Maxine at Beauxbatons but had moved to England after the battle of Hogwarts. She supported pure blood supremacy, and was hired at Hogwarts to teach astronomy, which she was very skilled at.

" 'Ello Professor Zabini," She said politely, bowing her head slightly. She smiled in a pretty way, and her blonde hair fell loosely out from behind her ear. " I wanted to tell you zat Venus is transitioning to trine Pluto tonight. Which that will be favorable circumstances to brew Veritasum." Her French accent was thick and charming.

"Thank you, Professor Brignac," He replied coolly, unlocking the door to his office. "I will try to initiate that process later today, if time allows."

"Professor Zabini," She said looking into his eyes. "I know I am not zee only one inquiring about when it will be made. If you do not brew it today, zen when?" She eyed him suspiciously, and Blaise found that irritating.

"I do not remember a time when I came to the astronomy tower and demanded a schedule of star gazing from you," He shot back casually, meeting her gaze. "Perhaps you've noticed, certain things have transpired as of late that require a lot of my time and attention. If you wish to gain knowledge from someone that you believe is withholding the truth, I suggest you seek out Isolde Vikander and take Legilimens lessons with her until such a time as you are apt enough to not need Veritasum."

Adette's Face blanched slightly. She looked up at him for a few seconds more, and then turned curtly and walked away, her light gray robes sweeping behind her.

Blaise sat at his desk. His office was much different than when Snape had presided as the potions master. It was more modern now, cleaner, and there was a bar in the corner that he kept various brandies and whiskeys at for when he stayed late in his office. He was tempted to make a drink now, but decided against it. He realized his jaws and shoulders were tense again and forced himself to relax. Being tense wouldn't fare well for him today, not with Voldemort coming to the castle. Dolohov and Flint would be bumbling morons while he's here, and Pansy would be an over energetic mess. Blaise did not like to be the subject of suspicion, and the lack of Veritasum in the castle would probably trigger that. But he was resigned not to make it, no matter how many times he was asked. It wouldn't bode well to have on hand.

His familiar black and grey horned owl, Bastet, landed on the sill of his office, and allowed Blaise to attach the parchment to his leg. He watched the owl fly off towards Hogsmeade, regretful he couldn't go as well.

The students were already gathering in the potions room, and the growing heat of his dark mark alerted him that soon the real show would start. Draco's careworn face popped into his minds eye for a minute, and he felt pity. He didn't believe a word Draco had said, he knew him too well. He didn't know Granger very well, but he knew she was lying too. He had tried to use his limited Legilimens skills to get into her mind today, but she was able to block him. _She must have learned occlumency somewhere._


End file.
